Objekt des Monats
Jedes Objekt in der Sammlung des Deutschen Auswandererhauses erzählt eine ganz persönliche Auswanderungs- oder Einwanderungsgeschichte. In dieser Rubrik stellen wir Ihnen jeden Monat ein anderes Objekt vor – eine Fotografie, ein Dokument oder ein persönliches Erinnerungsstück.
October 2016
Photo from 1981
Historical Context
On October 31, it’s that time again – Halloween is celebrated in many places. Children dress up and go door to door, asking for ‘Trick or Treat’ (which translates to ‘Sweets or else there will be trouble’), pumpkins are hollowed out, faces are carved into them, and they are set up as lanterns. Many associate these traditions with the USA, but the origin of the Halloween tradition goes back to Irish immigrants. The name of the festival is derived from the English ‘All Hallows’ Eve’, referring to the evening before All Saints’ Day.
The custom of demanding sweets at the doorstep, which German children have also adopted, is based on an old Christian tradition from Ireland. Back then, little breads with currants (‘soul cakes’) were distributed to poor people or beggars on All Souls’ Day, in return for their prayers for the souls of the deceased.
The hollowed-out pumpkins, known as Jack-O’-Lanterns, are based on an old Irish legend. According to this legend, there once lived a bad man named Jack Oldfield, who managed to escape the devil during his lifetime through trickery. When he died, heaven denied him entry because of his evil deeds, but since he had deceived the devil, he also could not enter hell. However, the devil took pity on him and gave him a turnip along with a piece of glowing coal so he could wander through the darkness. The pumpkins in Ireland were originally turnips. But since there were more pumpkins in the USA, these were used instead.
Short Biography
Arnim H. Meyburg was born in 1939 in Bremerhaven (then known as ‘Wesermünde’) as the only child of Auguste and Friedel Meyburg. His childhood in Bremerhaven is shaped by the post-war years. He remains in the port city until he graduates from Humboldt Gymnasium. Starting in 1960, he studies English and Romance languages at the University of Hamburg and transfers in 1962 to the Free University of Berlin. There he receives an offer to travel to America for an academic year. With the help of a scholarship and an assistant position, he finances his stay at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. In August 1965, he departs from Bremerhaven to the USA aboard the MS Berlin. Later, he is also offered the opportunity to pursue a doctorate there. His professional career continues from 1969 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where he is active as a professor for forty years and receives awards for his research and teaching.
In 1967, Arnim Meyburg meets and falls in love with Lee Stollerman. The beginning of their relationship is marked by uncertainties: Lee is Jewish, and the couple does not know how Lee’s parents will react to the news that their daughter has fallen in love with a student from Germany. However, those worries are unfounded, as Arnim is warmly welcomed into the family, and they marry later that same year. In 1980, their daughter Jennifer, known as Jenny, is born. It is Jenny who is sitting between the Halloween pumpkins in the photo, smiling mischievously at the camera.
Significance of the object
Even though not all people in Germany celebrate this custom, they today recognize what festival it is and in which country it is predominantly celebrated: It’s Halloween!
In 1981, the American emigrant Arnim Meyburg has already been in the USA for 16 years. What initially started as a study stay develops into a lifelong emigration. He has established a family in the USA and has embraced the customs of the country, such as celebrating Halloween, a festival that, like him, has a ‘migration background’. A festival that is always associated with the USA, but originally comes from Europe, more specifically from Ireland, and has been becoming popular in Germany in recent years.
Do You Also Have …
… a story of emigration or immigration in your family that you would like to share with the German Emigration Center together with the related objects and documents for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau by phone at +49 471 / 90 22 0 – 0
or by e-mail at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de