The military ceremony to greet Chancellor Angela Merkel after 16 years at the helm of Germany- time.news

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The event, complete with soldiers with torches and a Bundeswehr band, was held in the clearing in front of the Ministry of Defense where Stauffenberg and the conspirators of 20 July, symbol of the new Germany, were hanged.

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel is preparing to say goodbye to his 16 years at the helm of the government. To succeed it will be Olaf Scholz
. On the evening of December 2, the military ceremony to greet her was held, complete with soldiers with lighted torches and the Bundeswehr band (the federal army), in a sober atmosphere due to the Covid-19 emergency. During the day, the outgoing chancellor herself had said: The serious situation and the load of the health facilities in part already at the limits.

La cerimonia del Grosse Zapfenstreich il greater honor than the armed forces bestow on a civilian. The origins of the event date back to the 16th century, but today it is chosen to greet the presidents of the Republic, the chancellors and the defense ministers at the end of their term.

The event, scheduled for 7 pm, was held in the open space in front of the Ministry of Defense where Stauffenberg and the conspirators of 20 July, a symbolic place of the new Germany, were hanged.

Merkel’s speech

Today I feel first of all gratitude and humility in the face of the post I have held for so long, said Angela Merkel, adding that she is grateful for the trust received, because trust is the greatest asset in politics. It’s still: I would like to encourage you to always look at the world through the eyes of others.

The three songs


As per tradition, the chancellor had to choose before the ceremony three songs to have the orchestra perform for his greeting. Merkel opted for religious chant Great God we praise you (Great God, we praise you)

,
You forgot the color film (You forgot the color film) by Nina Hagen e Mirror, it should rain red roses for me (Red Roses Should Rain For Me) by Hildegard Knef.

As Christina Ciszek explained on La27esima, the last two songs are very popular in the country and many like them, but they are also a perfect choice for a message: to tell women to go their own way, overcoming obstacles and without letting themselves be held back by showers. The choice of religious song instead corresponds to her belonging to a Christian party, but also to the fact that she grew up in a Protestant family with a pastor father.

The examples of Knef and Hagen

Hildegard Knef, born in 1925, was an actress, then a singer and writer. She was known as a German post-war diva – in 1948 she won a prize at the Locarno Film Festival – until she went to the United States with her American husband. But he didn’t find his way here and decided to return to Germany to shoot the film The Sinner (1951) in which she played a prostitute. Due to a scene in which she completely undressed, revealing her naked breasts, she was despised as an actress by a scandalized Germany and returned to America, without abandoning her career in Germany. In 1968 he wrote the song that in 1992, at the end of his career and recorded again in a pop version, became a huge success: Red roses should rain for me, I should meet many miracles, I would like to understand, see a lot, experience, keep it.

Nina Hagen, born in 1955 in East Berlin, was the mother of punk in East Germany. Her dream was to become an actress, but the Stasi blocked her career due to too many contacts with dissident Wolf Biermann. After a few small roles he devoted himself to pop music at public school, where he graduated in 1974, immediately obtaining a hit with You forgot the color film. But her solidarity with Biermann made her go out of favor and so in 1976 she emigrated to the West. He also continued his success in the Federal Republic of Germany with his voice.

December 2, 2021 (change December 2, 2021 | 20:55)

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