Ship of Fools: Nikolaikirche, Nicholas Church, Eisenach, Karlsplatz, Germany

The Mystery Worshipper

Ship of Fools: Nikolaikirche, Nicholas Church, Eisenach, Karlsplatz, Germany

Singing a prayer for peace in the shadow of the war in Ukraine

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Nick Tamen

Thank you for this interesting report, @Portola. How nice to have been there the same day as the Princeton Choir.

I’m curious—is there somewhere to read about the 2018 liturgical reforms? FWIW, in my tradition white is the color for the First Sunday after Epiphany (the Baptism of the Lord) and the last Sunday after Epiphany (the Transfiguration*), but green is the color on the Sundays in-between.

And we still have a Herrnhuter Star hanging in the chancel of our church; it has been there since the beginning of Advent. (Though in my part of the world, they’re usually referred to as Moravian Stars.)


* In the calendar of my denomination, the last Sunday after Epiphany, not Aug. 6, is observed as the Transfiguration.

Portola

Nick Tamen wrote: »

Thank you for this interesting report, @Portola. How nice to have been there the same day as the Princeton Choir.

I’m curious—is there somewhere to read about the 2018 liturgical reforms?

Thank you for your kind words and your interest in liturgical practice in Germany. My information regarding the liturgical reform of 2018 in the Evangelische Kirche is in German. I will try to summarize. The Evangelische Kirche (a mixture of Lutheran and Reformed tradition) makes a distinction between the festive season of Christmas, which starts on the evening of Dec. 24 and ends with Epiphany on Jan. 6, and a more general Christmas “circle”, which begins on the first Sunday of Advent and ends with the last Sunday of Epiphany with the theme of the Transfiguration. This “circle” is generally marked by lighted Moravian stars, which hang in the altar area for two months.

Before 2018 there were up to 6 Sundays after Epiphany, which could end in the middle of February, depending on the date of Easter; Epiphany began and ended with the liturgical color white, the Sundays in between had green.

After 2018, Epiphany ended at the latest on Feb. 2 (the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple) which used to be the traditional end of the Christmas season. White is now the color of the entire season of Epiphany, as well as Christmas. Many RK churches in Germany keep their manger scenes and accompanying Christmas trees until Feb. 2, although the Christmas season in the RK church officially ends on the Sunday after Epiphany. Some Lutheran churches (and homes, such as ours) also keep their mangers until Feb. 2.

For the general population in Germany, Christmas begins when the first Christmas markets are set up in November. Advent does not exist outside of the church, but gets buried under Christmas parties, concerts and festivities. Many Germans are not aware that Dec. 25 is the actual day of Christmas, because for most people Christmas Eve is the consummation of Christmas. Among non-church people, the beginning and end of the Christmas season are quite individual and subjective. Thus, I am grateful that the church calendar offers a structure which preserves vintage tradition.

Nick Tamen

Thank you so, much for the detailed information, @Portola. It’s very interesting. I did a little googling and found this webpage and graphic, which illustrates what you’ve described. (And my German is just good enough for me to make some sense of it. )

FWIW, in my (Reformed) denomination, the “Christmas cycle” (perhaps comparable to the Evangelische Kirche’s Weihnachtskreis/“Christmas circle”) begins on the first Sunday of Advent and ends on Epiphany. After January 6, we’re in Ordinary Time or Time after Epiphany until Ash Wednesday.

Portola

Thank you, Nick Tamen, for supplying the term “Christmas cycle”, which is the word I should have used to translate “Weihnachtskreis”, because the church year consists of recurring cycles, which are carefully defined and which are rooted in the festivals and ordinances of Judaism and centuries of Christian tradition.
For many people this discussion about the structure of the church year might seem to be trivial. But I am convinced that the church calendar is a thing of beauty, which gives us Christians identity, historical grounding and a future perspective, especially in times of crisis. The cycles of the church year proclaim that life is not utterly arbitrary, but has meaning because of Biblical events and is heading toward a final consummation. The meaning of the church year is, for me, summed up in Psalm 31: 5 “My times are in your hand”.

Bishops Finger

Well said @Portola !

Forthview

I was interested to see in the Ev. Kirchenjahr webpage which Nick Tamen directs us to that the Sundays before Easter and the Sundays after Easter retain the names which they received before the Reformation from the Entrance Antiphon of the Roman Mass
First Sunday of Lent - Invocavit,Second Sunday of Lent Reminiszere,Third Sunday of Lent Okuli.
The spellings are however adapted to the German sounds as in Reminiszere (instead of Reminiscere) and Okuli (instead of Oculi)

The same thing for the Sundays after Easter e.g. 1st after Easter Quasimodogeniti,2nd after Easter Misericordias and 3rd after Easter Jubilate
I think that Bach composed Cantatas specifically for those Sundays after Easter

Portola

Thank you, Forthview, for pointing out the Latin names of the Sundays in Lent and Eastertide, which I also appreciate because they are so melodious. "Jubilate" is much more expressive than "3rd Sunday after Easter". "Cantate" (4th after Easter) is a Sunday on which choirs traditionally sing in a service. There are also three pre-Lent Sundays, beginning with Septuagesimae, 70 days before Easter, which corresponds to the 70 years of Israel's Babylonian captivity, indicating that Easter is a liberation from captivity and exile.

Forthview

The entrance antiphons which give these names are still used at the start of the post Vatican 2 RC Mass. They may,of course,not be recognised in their vernacular forms and are often nowadays replaced with an entrance hymn,at least in the anglophone world.
Only 'Laetare' (4th Lent) and 'Gaudete' (3rd Advent) are still widely used and(sort of) understood by Catholics.
I didn't know about a connection between 'Septuagesima' and the 70 years of Babylonian captivity before - one is always learning.
There is a little rhyme in German about these Latin names for the Sundays which you can find if you type in 'Okuli - da kommen sie'. I had to look it up as I only remebered that one along with 'Palmarum- tralarum'

Gee D

Portola wrote: »

There are also three pre-Lent Sundays, beginning with Septuagesimae, 70 days before Easter, which corresponds to the 70 years of Israel's Babylonian captivity, indicating that Easter is a liberation from captivity and exile.

That's a very interesting little link - as Forthview says, learning never ceases.