Polterabend

Polterabend!
Here is what it is all about - breaking dishes!!!







Ok, and celebrating the upcoming wedding of the engaged couple, too... but lets face it - breaking dishes on purpose is FUN!











Here you can see lots of the guests, plates in hand, ready to throw before they enter the celebration tent.






Steven threw LOTS of plates, cups, teapots, you name it! But he became quite attached to one plate that had a German scene painted on it, and asked to keep it.







The girls had fun throwing several things too and each came home with a treasure that they couldn't part with... now the question is whether we can fit them into our luggage.












Some guests came with crates of dishes to throw, others came with... well, a kitchen sink (sorry, I missed that one with the camera)








After most of the guests arrived we went inside and sat down. The hosts (groom's parents) introduced everyone in both German and English and then invited us to start feasting. Later in the evening they quieted everyone down to sing a satirical song about how the bride and groom met, it was in German, but the lyrics were translated for those of us who didn't understand what we were singing - there was a great refrain "And the Polter-gang said" which everyone shouted and then sang what was usually the punchline to a joke. There were 19 verses in all, and it was done in good humor, and they say it even rhymed (in German).





At the end of the party (which was in the wee hours of the morning... this photo is just a preview of how much more was to come) the groom had to sweep up all the shards. He enlisted the help of his bride and together they swept the broken bits into the shape of a heart before they threw them away.

CONGRATULATIONS!