Esprit-dé corps & regurgitation (the name of my next band… )
Jun 19th, 2006 by B.
This weekend was Dresden’s most notorious fest. The one people warned us to avoid late at night as it’s tradition to get drunk, start small fires & pick fights. Right. We were good campers, did as we were told, and packed it in around 11:00, but I still managed to see plenty of drunken disorderly conduct in that time. Plus, I’ve never seen so many polizei in one place in my life…
Factoring prominently into the festivities was the world cup. Team spirit to be more precise. You’d look into the sea of people and see jerseys, hats, shoes… you name it… mostly for germany, poland and brazil. Each of these little groups traveled in packs and exhibited enough esprit-dé corps to make you want to pick a team and join the fun. It was all songs, drinking, arm-in-arm walking (swaying’s probably a better description) and slurred insults directed toward the other groups. I’m not sure what they were saying, but it seemed to involve a lot of “your mama” talk. Still, all in all it was pretty good natured.
One question though… I’m not sure if this is just a Dresden thing, but is it common in germany for people to throw up in the streets? I first noticed this a few weeks ago, and saw at least 4 people doing it over this weekend. Literally I’d see someone stumble over toward a trash bin… or if one wasn’t available, just a semi-empty corner of the street… and proceed to puke their little guts out. One guy even took a swig out of his beer bottle (he’d had it in his hands while vomiting), gargled with it and then spit it out all over his sick. So gross.
Hopefully this isn’t a common thing and I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Either way… ick.
Well this was an interesting read first thing Monday morning B, thanx…I think…lol…..
Ick indeed
I’ve not seen the barfin’, but I have seen the pissin’
The “Bunte Republik Neustadt” is not just any fest. It has it’s roots in the time of 1989-91, when the DDR government was virtually out of power but the new “capitalist” structures still wasn’t established either.
Dresden-Neustadt was neglected in some kind by the DDR-regime (resp. the Dresden municipality) since the 1980’s as they wanted to rebuild the whole area some time. Due to that many houses were vacant and got in the meantime taken oven by members of a left-wing alternative subculture.
In the time of 1989-91 with it’s partly “anarchist” conditions (no real government capable of acting, so everyone could open his own bar, music hall or art studio there), the “Bunte Republik Neustadt” was declared. (Word-play to “Bundesrepublik Deutschland”) They had their own money, “government” etc.
This micro nation had been a serious protest against the plain and unquestioned annexation of the DDR by the capitalist BRD, promoting a “third way”, using the atmosphere of departure in the people’s minds at these days to create a completely new system/nation, better than both old ones. Obviously, they failed.
Every year in June there was a big alternative Straßenfest (for the first time in 1990 to celebrate the declaration of independence), which is today the last remained witness of this events. Though the fest is itself “capitalist” in some way today, it is also still a bit “anarchist”. For example there is no central organizer, everyone is registering his own stall or stage directly at the Dresden municipality.
So, though every participant or native-Dresdener (I’m not) would be horrified by this very shortened history lesson, this maybe explains a bit of the still in some way unusual customs at the BRN festival
And why still every year skinheads and other right-wing chaots come to Dresden to disturb the “left-wing alternative” festival
(Sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes, I wrote this down without looking up everything
)
And not to forget: I really like your Blog!
I enjoy reading your blog! Today’s left me thinking about all the street barfing that takes place here in Tokyo. It’s not at all unuasual to see the “salarymen” puke in the street or on the train platforms after a little too much sake. Early in the morning, many shopkeepers have to wash down the street in front of their shops. A few times, as I’ve walked home at a relatively early 10 or 11pm, I’ve had to watch carefully where I stepped to avoid stepping in “sick.” Ugh! AT
I don’t see a lot of street barfing in Frankfurt (Main), but there is a good deal of street urinating.
Thanks, Sebastian, it’s nice to finally know what this fest is all about! I love finding out new things about where I’m living and often it’s hard to look them up…
When I was in Berlin I saw two guys peeing on a bush near the hard rock cafe, but I’ve never seen it here… just the barfing.
Absolutely Tokyo!- I want to live in Tokyo one day!!