Bake bread for a good cause: Confis celebrate Thanksgiving in the Gießen district

Bake bread for a good cause: Confis celebrate Thanksgiving in the Gießen district

In the district of Gießen, a lot will be considered about the Thanksgiving Festival in the coming weeks, a holiday that focuses on gratitude for the harvest and food production. At a time when fresh food and exotic fruits are a matter of course for many, the difference to the past becomes particularly noticeable. While the harvest in the past was able to decide on life and death, you can easily find fresh bread and other baked goods on the supermarket shelves today. But the downside is worrying: In Germany alone, 1.7 million tons of baked goods end up in the trash every year, as reported by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

This year the Thanksgiving Festival is accompanied by a special campaign: "5000 bread - confis baking bread for the world". Young people from the Evangelical parish of Langsdorf/Bettenhausen support educational projects in Malawi, Vietnam and Paraguay. On Saturday, eight confirmands backed up in the bakery of the Ulrich bakery in Dorheim itself, which will be sold on Sunday, October 13th after the service to collect donations for a good cause, explains Nathalie Schliwa from the parish.

traditions and customs

The Thanksgiving Festival has produced many traditions that are still being maintained today. In numerous communities, places of worship are decorated with fruit, vegetables and other harvests. "The altars are decorated with pumpkins, potatoes and ears," reports Dr. Angela Stender, who is responsible for media work in the Deanery of Gießener Land. Many churches then donate the gifts to local plates to help those in need.

But not only in the churches itself is celebrated. In Röthges there will be a Thanksgiving celebration on Hofmann's court on Sunday, October 6th, in which the residents from Hungen, Rodheim and Langd are invited to a joint lunch. Even in Beuern and Nonnenroth, meals are planned after the services.

harvest results and outlook

This year's harvest was surprisingly good in parts of the Gießen district, despite the difficult conditions. Peter Fay, a local farmer, was positive about the yields on the stony floors, while others had to deal with waterlogging in the region. Daniel Seipp, chairman of the district farmers' association, confirms the great scattering of the yields between five and eight tons per hectare, and indicates that moist weather has also led to mushroom diseases among the cereals.

In the region, winter wheat is mainly grown, which has a higher earnings potential compared to summer wheat. But now the crucial time for sowing begins. The young plants have to offer protection against weeds and grasses, and in the coming spring the fertilization is due to supply the bread grains with the necessary protein content. "At least 11.5 percent protein content is necessary, otherwise the mills will not accept it," emphasizes Seipp.

bread is one of the oldest foods and has reached an incredible variety in Germany: over 300 types of bread are available in this country, more than in any other country in the world. Pouring the bakery guild, which looks back on a tradition over 400 years, is increasingly faced with young talent, despite the training of more than 15,000 bakers in the past ten years.

Although the social conditions have changed, the Thanksgiving Festival remains an occasion for reflection and gratitude. The close connections between nature, nutrition and tradition are also celebrated with diverse customs, such as the harvest crown, which is bound from stalks and ears. Such traditions still illustrate how important our roots are in the field of agriculture and the community.