April 2021

The night of April 31 to May 1 is celebrated in many European cultures as the beginning of summer. What we know today primarily as " Dancing into May" has its origins in Germanic, Celtic, Slavic and Baltic ("pagan") rituals. Probably the best known tale is that of the witches on the "Blocksberg", the Brocken in the Harz mountains, who are said to have danced with the devil and performed sexual rituals there on Walpurgis Night. In fact, fertility rituals, the expulsion of evil spirits of winter, and offerings to the Fae (fairies and forest spirits) were common throughout Europe before these customs were banned or Christianized by Christians. Walpurgis Night thus takes its current name from the abbess and missionary Walburga, a Catholic saint.

Rosemarie Achenbach was 90 years old when she began her doctoral work. By contrast, the youngest students at HHU are 17 years old - and thus not legally of age.  At the university in particular, this can be a great enrichment if everyone involved treats each other with respect and appreciation. Stay curious! Whether medical students with paramedic training, contemporary witnesses in history or digital natives in economics - we can all learn a lot from each other.

HHU is looking for a student to support the Diversity Coordination Office. Your tasks? Updating the diversity portal, managing and editing this Instagram account, assisting with the organization of conferences/workshops/workgroup meetings, proofreading, internet research, office duties. In other words, you will gain experience in professional social media work and website design, improve university life through your work, be paid according to the collective bargaining agreement, and get many opportunities to actively contribute to a dynamic team. Interested? Applications are still open until January 30. Click here to find the vacancy announcement and all other information (german only).

Five commandments, also called "five pillars," are what Muslims and Muslimas are supposed to obey in their lives: They are to believe only in Allah and in no other god. They are to pray five times a day wherever they are. They should provide charities to the poor. If possible, all Muslims should make a pilgrimage to the holy places of Mecca and Medina once in their lifetime. And: Every year they should fast for one month, in the month of Ramadān of the Islamic lunar calendar. In Germany, the fasting period begins on April 13 this year. Every day between dawn and sunset, the believers do not eat or drink any type of nourishment. The idea is to suppress the desire for worldly things, which stand in the way of submission to God. Not all Muslims fast, however. Some are exempt from this obligation because they are not advised to fast because of their health: Young children, old or sick people, pregnant or menstruating persons. However, the days missed should be made up if possible, or a donation to the poor must be made for each day not fasted. Many Muslims simply do not fast because it is not a relevant part of their faith - just as in many other religions.

More information can be found at www.bpb.de/.../. There you can also find many tests and quizzes about the world's religions.