EASTER GREETINGS

Dear friends of Eurojumelages,

I wish you, your families and friends a happy Easter, a few relaxing days and a good start to the approaching spring.

Sincerely,

Peter Backes 

In some places in Europe, Easter traditions have been celebrated for hundreds of years...

For example, in Schönecken/Eifel, close to Luxembourg and Belgium, the birthplace of my wife. A tradition has been practised there for 500 years on Easter Monday, the "Schönecker Eierlage", a competition between two bachelors.

Two bachelors compete against each other in a race on Easter Monday. One of them has to collect 104 raw eggs one by one and place them in a basket at the starting point.

The eggs are laid in sawdust on a road at a distance of one ell (62.5 centimetres). The packer (Raffer) covers a total distance of around 6.9 kilometres.

If an egg breaks, he has lost.

At the same time, his counterpart, the "runner" (Läufer), sets off on his way to the neighbouring village of Seiwerath and from there back to Schönecken. He has to cover 7.6 kilometres and a difference in altitude of 122 metres.

Whoever completes their task first is the winner.

The winner of the race receives a gold-plated watch, while the person who loses receives a gold-plated lighter. The 104 eggs are then eaten by all the bachelors at a big scrambled egg party on Easter Tuesday.  

The tradition dates back to the Middle Ages, when the lords of Schönecken Castle had errand boys who competed against each other to amuse the people.

I would like to thank Josef Kammerschen for his support for this article. He is involved in many social projects in Koblenz and has become an institution there, although he still feels very close to his home town of Schönecken.

https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/rheinland-pfalz/trier/tradition-wie-vor-500-jahren-wieder-eierlage-in-schoenecken-100.html

https://www.eifel.info/informationen/veranstaltungen/veranstaltungskalender/e-traditionelle-eierlage-schoenecken

https://www.facebook.com/josef.kammerschen/videos/2962871580401373?locale=de-de

The Federal Board of the EuroJD mourns the loss of its Honorary Chairman

Werner Blank

Holder of the Federal Cross of Merit

Honorary member of the Eurojumelages

died on 6 January 2024 at the age of 88

Read more ...

Spanish language course of Eurojumelages in Benidorm from 6th to 10th November 2023

Dear friends of Eurojumelages,
There are so many reasons why it is worth learning Spanish.
Spanish is

• - the official language or important second language in 20 countries,
• - the second most spoken native language,
• - is useful for great trips to many Spanish-speaking countries
• - supposedly easy to learn and pronounce.

Just think of the countries where Spanish is spoken and all the exciting things you could experience.
And that's precisely why Eurojumelages has once again organised an intensive language course in Benidorm/Spain in 2023.

Read more ...

Dear friends of the Eurojumelages,

Christmas is coming soon. A time to pause, Look Back and Reflect.

To reflect on what was important this year and what will be important in the coming new year.

Personally, the many international encounters with Jumeleurs were very important to me.

The harmonious co-operation at all these meetings made a deep impression on me and at the same time encouraged me to continue to stand up for the future of a strong Eurojumelages.  

Above all, I am encouraged by the great commitment shown by many Jumeleurs at country and section level in organizing events such as language courses, sporting events and friendship meetings. They are the foundation of our association. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who once again contributed to the success of the numerous events this year!

This year, we also had to continue to deal with challenges. The biggest, constant challenge for Eurojumelages is to attract new members. 

During the coming year we therefore resolve to continue to strengthen our Eurojumelages – this objective must be pursued stringently at all levels of our Organisation.

To this end, the project we have started to recruit new member countries will be consistently pursued further.

Cooperation with other associations close to the Eurojumelages should also be considered.

In addition, the events in connection with the 2024 European elections offer a suitable forum for promoting Eurojumelages, as do the many regional events (Christmas markets, summer festivals, etc.). Suitable advertising materials (e.g. flyers) are available and we should not hesitate to make them available in places where there are large gatherings of people.

Let us consider the coming year 2024 as an opportunity and strive together for a strong Eurojumelages!

"The future depends on what we do today." (Mahatma Gandhi)

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a good start towards a healthy and peaceful year 2024.

Sincerely,

Peter Backes