Alcohol flavored Easter Flames

I'm not a chocolate fan but i can't resist a Kinder Überraschung a.k.a Kinder Surprise once and awhile.

Did you know? Kinder [pronounced Kin-duh] means "Children" in German.

Monday was a public holiday, all thanks to Easter. And on Sunday we were told there was going to be a massive bonfire just up the road. And true enough the day before we saw the drink wagons being set up and a stack of neatly piled up branches and dead leaves. We don't exactly live in the countryside but there are a few small fields around and about. And this particular patch is right beside a residential area and elementary school.

Anyway, the Easter-bonfire signified the end of Winter and "the light from the fire symbolically represents the driving-out of Winter and the coming warmth." Or as the Christians would like to believe "it is a sign of the resurrection of Christ" [source].

It started at 7pm but we figured we'd wait till it got dark and for the flames to settle before we made our way there. By the time we got there it was around 8:30pm and it had been drizzling most of the day.

From afar you could only see silhouettes hovering around what looked like a massive explosion.

The closer i got i could feel the heat caress my face. And then as i was inches away from the fire, i couldn't help but think what would happen if someone set themselves on fire? Obviously not on purpose. But where were the fire brigade and ambulances? Wasn't there anybody going to barricade the sight?

The flames were hypnotizing. Every so often the wind direction would change and you could see the crowd rotate around the bonfire to avoid being engulfed by a thick cloud of smoke.

And as i followed the sparks dance in the wind, i watched some land on a few innocent bystanders.

.

.

.

But to no avail, nobody was set alight.

But i couldn't believe how close some kids got. I watched one kid prod the burning flames with a stray twig. Teasing it and later stabbing it with much excitement. And i couldn't help but wonder, where were his parents? Do they know he's playing with fire?

And so as the kids played with fire, the adults and the underage hovered around the drink wagons like moths to a flame.

To kill Time we figured we'd have a few shots and chased them with beer that cost 1,10€. The first shot tasted like a mild version of Sambuca with its' Aniseed flavor - not my favorite.

Then there was the Grashüpfer - i can't remember what it tastes like now except that i know it was green.

And probably my favorite out of the lot was Feigling which translates to "Coward" in English. It's quite popular apparently and can be bought at practically every supermarket or kiosk. It has a slight peach aftertaste and goes down quite easily. Definitely a girls' shot.

And last but not least, a rather strong pear-tasting liquor with a small piece of pear inside in a ready prepared pack.

We didn't stay until the fire burnt out because the sky started to spit again and the temperature dropped. But i have to say, i was quite impressed even though they said last years' turnout was apparently much more impressive. I blame Mother Nature.

Gawd, i'm so happy that Winter is finally over. I'm just not looking forward to the sweats!

Oh and i don't know why but the other day i found this real-sized stuffed chicken surrounded by stacked egg cartons quite disturbing.

I don't really celebrate Easter but for those who did, Happy Easter!