German Tuesday - Celebrate Father's Day German style

You might be surprised to read something about Father's Day this early in the year and that's for a good reason. In Germany, Father's Day (Vatertag) is celebrated on Ascension Day (the Thursday forty days after Easter and a public holiday) which means this year it will be on 9th May. Vatertag can also be called Männertag or Herrentag (gentlemen's day) depending on the region of Germany.

And let me tell you it is celebrated quite differently from other parts of the world as well. It is tradition for groups of men (young and old) to go on some kind of hiking tour with one or more 'Bollerwagen' (handcarts) to carry their beer or other alcoholic drinks. Some of these carts are specially built or decorated for this day only.

www.bier-kwik.de

I'm not sure where this tradition comes from but apparently "Gentlemen parties" have been taken place in the Berlin area since the end of the 19th century and where an inauguration of younger men to the manners and bad habits of masculinity.

A lot of beer breweries do some special advertising just for Father's Day unfortunately they loose their wit and humour when translating them.

However I came across this old Durex advertising from 2005 which I think is quite funny.

Happy Father's Day!!

[via wikipedia, wikimedia, meetinx]