Conversation:

Entry: Advent and Christmas in Austria - A87778624
Author: Tavaron da Quirm - Arts Editor - U1314679

This is my contribution to last years Create. And I decided that 3500 words are enough. This was a lot more difficult than I thought when I started writing.

I hope someone finds it interesting.

Oh how wonderful. Thanks for this, Tav.


GB

thank you

A fascinating entry. I did, I must admit, wonder what you meant in the Three Kings section by 'One (Melchior) is always black'. What is black? The star on the pole, child, crown or cape?

There were a few minor spelling errors, but overall the standard of English is excellent, so please don't consider this a criticism!
Oder – older
Dependend – dependant
Everage – Average
Axcessively – Excessively
Origninating – originating
appearence – appearance
christmas – Christmas
most naughty – I think I'd write naughtiest
to a whle set – whole
opposit – opposite
occassional roket - occasional rocket
forshadow - foreshadow
new year - New Year
pre-Germanic believes – beliefs
peoples – people's

<BB<

Melchior is the black kin.

Thank you!

Great entry Tav. The noun you want to use is beliefs as the noun form of verb believe.

I like how you have put in the history of the advent wreath. Are people in Austria likely to drink moderately during Christmas or is there a tendency (not in the mountains of course) to overindulge?

thank you!

I'd say people drink moderately, apart from some at the punch stalls, as I mentioned in the Entry. Excessive drinking in winter mostly happens on skiing holidays.

HMM, that strikes me as being rather suicidal---presumably that occurs after everyone has retired from the slopes. One hopes at least.

They should, yes, but unfortunately a lot of drunk people are skiing.

Hi Tav.

In the sentence where you describe the lighting of the advent wreath, I would add the word "more". So:

Instead of >>On every Sunday one candle is lit until all four are burning on the last Sunday<< you would say >>On every Sunday one more candle is lit until all four are burning on the last Sunday<<

Christstollen, a longish pastry - more of a fruit cake than a pastry. In fact, not really a pastry at all.

>>St Barbara, patron of miners<< >>Patron Saint of miners<<

I have corrected that and also most of the things BB found, I didn't detect all of them.

I love this. It also reminds me of Christmas in Bavaria - and forgetting about 'Heilige Drei Koenige' and ending up with no Broetchen on that day.

>>customs are influenced by much oder believes<<

'much older beliefs'.

>.an invasion of local believes<<

Again, 'beliefs'.

I love the idea of Luther making St Nikolaus redundant. He should get severance pay.

thanks, I found it now

Severence pay, indeed. I didn't know about Luther inventing the Christkind until I wrote this. Obviously he hasn't been successful with Nikolaus.

I think you're doing a good job of showing that traditions evolve.

thank you
I had much more to write in this Entry than I thought when I started.

This is lovely - a vivid account of the celebrations and some of their history. Though I was a bit worried about the idea of Mother Hulda checking if people's houses were tidy!

A few minor suggestions -

In the sentence beginning 'In truth modern life', I would continue 'has not overlooked Austria'.

In the sentence beginning 'Snow can again be expected' it might be better to say 'the heaviest snowfall'.

In the sentence beginning 'For a long time home made cookies' it might be better to say 'and many of them were'.

In the sentence beginning "Usually people try not to eat', omit 'yet' after 'boring'.

The sentence beginning "Like at Easter" should continue "and All Hallows"

In the sentence beginning "The clump of metal is," "it's" doesn't need an apostrophe.

The sentence beginning "According to German" should continue "beliefs this is a special time of the year."

I hope this makes sense!

thanks, I changed everything apart from the thing with the cookies because I think 'many' and 'a great varieaty' are two different things.

Are we all done here?

GB