Minster is a town deeply rooted with German heritage. Originating from the town Munster, Germany, the memories of the ancestors time in Germany are still alive and well today. In fact, not but two generations ago a majority of the town was still fluent in German and in English, a fact that the elderly never will let you forget. Minster has held close to its religion, to its heritage, and especially to its beer, just like Berlin has as well for centuries.
One of the most prominent showings of our town’s German heritage is our yearly Oktoberfest (yes that it spelled right) festival. Oktoberfest is a weekend full of historical German clothing, polka music, food like bratwurst, sauerkraut, pretzels, and of course: lots and lots of beer (“History of Oktoberfest”). Whether or not it is now just used as an excuse to be very publicly intoxicated or not, its original purpose was to celebrate a year with an especially large harvest for Minster (“History of Minster”). Berlin celebrates the Oktoberfest still today too except on a much larger scale and was actually started because of a Royal Wedding in October 1810. Regardless if you are in Minster, Ohio or Berlin, Germany you celebrate Oktoberfest not just because you want to drink alcohol, but because it means something much more to us all of German descent. By celebrating you are keeping the German culture alive today and helping it to flourish in the future. You celebrate to be connected to your ancestors before you, who also gathered every year for the same festival that brought a time of release and good times from the often hectic world all around them. You celebrate to connect the present with the past in little glimpses all around you, and that is a beautiful thing.
Another shared representation of European-Germanic history is the existence of a town seal. A town seal is supposed to capture a prevalent part of that town’s history, basically giving a small nod to the town’s heritage. Both Minster and Berlin have seals that were not just used commonly in the past, but that can be seen in multitude still today. Minster’s seal represents all important parts of its history with the Cross representing our strong Christian faith, the acorn representing strength, the canal boat which brought economic prosperity, and the dual horse heads which was used to ward off evil and upon good fortune (“History of Minster”). Likewise, with Berlin’s seal although the history is less concrete with its origin, the bear has stayed a constant symbol for the city of Berlin (Spirova). Perhaps it was just proposed one day, or perhaps it symbolizes the city of Berlin’s resiliency to ward off people who intend to do harm and to stay firm and loyal to where they live, just like a bear. Regardless of which theory you believe, one thing is for true: both towns stay loyal to their ancestors way of life and not just keep it alive but cherish it on a day-to-day basis to forever keep our history relevant in our lives.
I am not saying either town has had a perfect history; in fact, I am saying exactly the opposite. Whether it be the cholera outbreak of Minster nearly killing the entire town, or the multiple wars and rulers Berlin has endured throughout its existence, the people still prevail. Through any hardship one thing has held true: Germans will always push through. They will pick themselves up, brush off the dust, and go forward on their way just like they were taught to do by their parents and their parents before them. It is the Germanic way of life, that no matter how hard anyone has tried to oppress, will never fade no matter how many years may pass.
Cites:
“The History of Oktoberfest.” Ofest, LCON, 2015, ofest.com/history.html.
“The History of the Village of Minster.” Minster a Great Community, Village of Minster, 2016, www.minsteroh.com/residents/history-minster.
Spirova, Eva. “The Bear-The Symbol of Berlin.” Berlin: A Divided City, Willkommen In Unserem Blog, 6 Mar. 2013, berlindividedcity.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/the-bear-the-symbol-of-berlin/.
