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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Basteln

This is a great word for those looking for a way to keep their kids entertained.

German word of the day: Basteln
Photo credit: Francesco Ungaro / Unsplash + Nicolas Raymond / flickr

What does basteln mean?

The German verb basteln means to engage in handicrafts or to tinker around with something. Though there isn’t a direct equivalent verb in English, the closest translations would be “to do handicrafts”, “to make” or “to tinker”.

Basteln is most commonly used to describe the kind of arts and crafts activities that children are particularly fond of, such as painting eggs or making puppets out of socks. But, of course, children aren’t the only ones who like to get make things, and DIY projects, or working with materials to create or repair objects also come under the umbrella of basteln

If you need to find a shop near you that sells the kind of materials you’d need for a Basteltag (craft day), you can search for online a Bastelladen (crafts store) or for Bastelbedarf (craft supplies).

The term basteln can also be used more generally to mean “to put something together”, usually at short notice. For example, if you find yourself having to throw together a last-minute presentation, you could say:

Ich kann aus diesen Dokumenten etwas basteln

I can put something together from these documents

Where does the word basteln come from?

The origin of the word is not entirely clear, but it is believed to be derived from the Middle High German besten, meaning “to knot” or “to tie up”. During the Middle Ages, the word besten was also used to refer to the handicraft work of laymen or craftsmen.

Over time, basteln evolved to mean the act of constructing or assembling something using simple and easily accessible materials. 

Use it like this: 

Basteln ist eine tolle Aktivität für die ganze Familie

Doing crafts is a great activity for the whole family

Er mag es zu basteln und mit seinen Händen zu arbeiten

He loves to do crafts and to work with his hands

Seit Tagen bastelt sie an ihrer Präsentation

She’s been tinkering with her presentation for days

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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Sommersonnenwende

This German word marks the changing of seasons, and the longest day of the year.

German word of the day: Sommersonnenwende

Die Sommersonnenwende, pronounced like this, is the German term for the summer solstice, which is the day that marks the meteorological beginning of summer in Germany and the northern hemisphere.

Alternative names for the day are Sommer Solstitium, which comes from the Latin term, and Mittsommer.

Like so many great German words, the term for the summer solstice is a compound noun which translates quite literally. It’s made up of three simple words: Sommer (summer), Sonnen (sun) and Wende (turn or turnaround).

So the name for the summer solstice in German is meant to remind you that this is the day that the sun ends its journey northward in the sky, and turns around.

As you can probably guess, the winter solstice is called die Wintersonnenwende.

You might recognise the term Wende from another compound noun that got a fair amount of attention in recent years – Energiewende, which means energy transition, has also been used to describe Germany’s big picture plans to phase out fossil fuel use.

The summer solstice usually falls on June 21st or 22nd. But it fell on June 20th this year, due to 2024 being a leap year.

How is ‘die Sommersonnenwende’ observed in Germany

Humans have taken note of, and celebrated, the summer solstice for thousands of years.

Archaeologists suggest that Stone Age cultures were already able to determine the day. Evidence of this was uncovered in 2004 at the site of a 7000-year-old solar observatory found in Goseck in Saxony-Anhalt.

Among Germanic tribes, the summer solstice was celebrated with pagan folk festivals that often included fire rituals.

After Christianization of the region, the Catholic Church tried to abolish the pagan solstice traditions – eventually designating the day for a memorial day for John the Baptist (June 24th), and adopting the fire as a symbol for Jesus Christ. 

Most of the original solstice traditions have been lost, but some are being reinvigorated for tourism, especially on the Baltic Sea coast.

More broadly, the long daylight hours experienced in the weeks before and after the summer solstice, offer a chance to stay out or do outdoor activities late into the evening. There are also a number of music festivals around Germany at this time of year.

READ ALSO: How to make the most of Germany’s long summer days

Use it like this:

Die Sonne geht so spät unter, es muss die Sommersonnenwende sein.

The sun is setting so late, it must be the summer solstice!

Haben Sie dieses Jahr Pläne, die Sommersonnenwende zu feiern?

Do you have plans to celebrate the summer soltice this year?

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