In The News: "Fewer than half of Germans know their national anthem"

[breakingthrunow]

Fewer than half of Germans know their national anthem
16 Jul 2009 - http://www.thelocal.de/society/20090716-20641.html

Never particularly patriotic due to their country’s jingoistic history, a poll released on Thursday showed fewer than half of all Germans know the lyrics to their national anthem.

According to the survey carried out by pollster Emnid

Comments

[weiantheman]

do German kids sing the national anthem in school? it's very interesting to note that only one stanza is sung/memorised. i love how the anthem sounds.

[nitanitachan]

no singing in the morning XD

I had it in my music lessons once ...

[breakingthrunow]

The only time the anthem was mentioned at school for me was when we were going over it in elementary school -- I think it was in 3rd grade. This was in Niedersachsen in what then was "the West". Do you sing your anthem at school and where do you live? :)

[weiantheman]

Where I'm from (Singapore), in elementary school, it is sung every morning (for lessons which begin in the morning) and every afternoon (for lessons whi begin in the afternoon). In fact, for schools leading all the way up to University (exclusive of University), the anthem is sung at least once a week (normally mondays). The National pledge normally comes after the national anthem. So we have to sing the national anthem, and recite the pledge, by placing a clenched right fist on our left chest (heart

[lied_ohne_worte]

We learnt it in school, but there is no regular singing or similar. Germans are quite uncomfortable with any displays of patriotism (with the exception of football matches and tournaments). Something like the US pledge of allegiance in school or really in most other contexts would not work for us, I think.

[czarny]

I'm not sure many European countries do that at all lol.