At the library where
brickling works (the
International Youth Library at Blutenburg castle on the outskirts of Munich -- one of the coolest places ever to work!), there is a lantern festival every year during advent, referring to some old Bavarian customs about or around
St. Lucy's Day. It takes place on the pond behind the castle, which you here see in last fading light of the evening.
For that, the children of the area who use the 'Book Castle' as an everyday lending library made those little houses, churches, castles and towers from cardboard and coloured transparent paper during the last few weeks at the library, glued them on a bit of wood or clapboard, and brought them to let swim on the pond with a tea light inside for this festival.
They came in a procession with candles from the local church a stone's throw away (complete with brass band playing Christmas carols) and then put the little 'light houses' on the pond. Most hugged the shore, though, as the kids had them on string and wouldn't let them go. The Nazgul said as far as she knew, not letting go wasn't the point of the celebration, but well...
It did look very pretty, though.-
And then we went and had mulled wine at the Christmas market inside the castle.