The Sunday before Easter is Palmsonntag (Palm Sunday) in Germany, remembering the day when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem. It marks the beginning of the Karwoche (Holy Week) which finds its peak with Karfreitag (Good Friday), a holiday in Germany, and ends with Easter. In the more Catholic parts of the country you find a lot of crosses on the side of roads or in front of little chapels.
This might give you the impression that Germany is a very religious country.
It is not.
However, it is in line with a Christian tradition which is mainly shaped by the Catholic church and the Protestant church. There still is religious education in elementary school which I find hopelessly outdated. If you belong to one of the two main churches, you have to pay taxes to the church (collected by the state). You have the possibility to leave the church and it is very easy to do so.
Whatever position one may have to religion, these crosses belong to the German landscape. They talk about tradition and culture. Even though I am not a religious person at all, I don't want to miss these landmarks in my country. They just belong.
Do you want to share anything German, be it a photo, memory, food, whatever? Please do so with a link in your comment and we will come and visit.
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