It surely must - comes from the older spelling of brother, brether.
Over to you.
Pub Quiz thread
- Thread starter colognehornet
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It surely must - comes from the older spelling of brother, brether.
Over to you.
In some towns and cities in Europe it is customary for the Lord Mayor to give up his position for 3 days in the year - which days of the year, and who becomes Mayor over that period ?
Yes, I'd have got that one if I'd seen it...Anglo-Saxon (and hence OHG derivations) being part of my first degree. Just thinking about it takes me back - strong and weak verbs, vowel shifts, strange letters!
The first clue is that at least one of these towns officially changes it's name for the 3 days.
No takers ? Take a certain 'Ship of Fools' away from Paris and back to it's home town and you could be in the middle of all of this.
There is part of a painting, 'Ship of Fools' by Hieronymus Bosh in the Louvre in Paris. He was Dutch from Brabant, but beyond that I can go no further.
This is a link in the right direction Frenchie. His home town would help a bit more. The 3 days referred to are actually longer in some places (that is the minimum) but the actual dates change a little from year to year. Roses were one clue, ashes are another. On the preceding thursday the town hall is stormed by some of the populous - thus precipitating the mayor handing over his authority a little later. Our own mayor is one of these 'unfortunates' but he takes it in a good humoured fashion.
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's-Hertogenbosch is his home town. The only thing I can think of to do with ashes is Ash Wednesday, which would change from year to year.
"Oeteldonk" is the changed name, and the mayor hands over to "Peer vaan den Muggenheuvel tot den Bobberd
No, I didn't know any of this, and still don't understand it, but there you are.
No, I didn't know any of this, and still don't understand it, but there you are.
"Oeteldonk" is the changed name, and the mayor hands over to "Peer vaan den Muggenheuvel tot den Bobberd
No, I didn't know any of this, and still don't understand it, but there you are.
I'll give you that Frenchie. Hertogenbosch (den Bosch) is one of the towns which celebrates Carnival - along with most towns in the South of the Netherlands, parts of Belgium and the Rhineland in Germany - down to Switzerland and Austria. Officially the Carnival preparations begin at 11.11 am. on the morning of November 11th (St. Martins). But the real Carnival is from Ladies Night (Weiberfastnacht) on the Thursday - where it is traditional for the women to take charge of the town and storm the town hall - the mayor then capitulates and hands his authority over to the Carnival Prince. Whoever is in this position then takes control of the town from Shrove Monday (Rose Monday - Rosenmontag) through to Ash Wednesday. The biggest city to actually practice this is Cologne - where the Carnival Prince (His Regal Madness !) is in charge of the city for the 3 highly anarchistic days. Needless to say large quantities of alcohol and revelry are concerned in all of this and anyone not in costume is highly suspect. The 3 biggest carnivals in Germany are Cologne, Düsseldorf and Mainz - who all have inebriated clowns as their acting mayors over this period. The mayor wears a crown with peacock tail, golden chain, girdle with glitzy stones, white undershorts and a purple jacket - with sceptre in the right hand and something resembling a cosh in the other. Something like a take off of Prussian military pomp of yesteryear. Then after 3 days the Germans go back to being serious again ! Actually - the rest of Germany doesn't understand all of this."Oeteldonk" is the changed name, and the mayor hands over to "Peer vaan den Muggenheuvel tot den Bobberd
No, I didn't know any of this, and still don't understand it, but there you are.
Over to you.
I am glad that most of Germany is like me, lacking in understanding. 
Right, what links a small mountain range, an impact crater and a race horse?
Right, what links a small mountain range, an impact crater and a race horse?
yorkshirehornet
Well-Known Member
yorkshirehornet
Well-Known Member
Rochechouart crater - massif central mountain range? I think there was a quote by a Count de Rochechouart to the effect that his daughter was worth thirty thoroughbred mares...