First of all – and to avoid mails from my German readers 😉 – of course not EVERY German loves the Eurovision Song Contest. But a lot of us do, me included 🙂 So let me explain what the contest is about :

Eurovision Song Contest in Germany – Waht is all the fuss about?

The Eurovision Song Contest is in fact the longest-running annual international TV song competition. It started back in 1956, can you belive this?! So forget about trends American Idol and such! 😉 Singers from counties that are part of the European Broadcasting Union can participate – so don’t be confused to see countries that are not part of the European Union in the competition, those are two different things!! Since 2015 even Australia is taking part, simply because the contest is such a big thing over there, too. 😀

After preselections of the songs – in the member countries themselves and by a jury afterwards – every participating country submits a song. On ESC-night, those songs will be performed live on tv. This is obviously the best part of the show :-).

Afterwards the voting part begins. The people of all the member countries can vote for the song they have liked the most – just not for song from their own country. There is also a professional jury in every country that casts their own votes. Each country has one or more representative(s) who announce the points live on television. This part always takes veeeery long. Finally, the country with the most points wins the contest. The winning country will also be the host of the contest in the coming year.

Eurovision Song Contest in Germany- Why is it such a big thing?

Well, this question is tricky. In my opinion, the Eurovision Song Contest is loved in Germany mainly because it is such a fun event! When do you get the chance to listen to songs from so many different countries? And a lot of artists put on a show which makes watching their performances even more entertaining. For me, the Eurovision Song Contest manifests what Europe really is about: being different and celebrating this difference! Plus, it’s all about music and who doesn’t like a good song, right?! 🙂

Eurovision Song Contest in Germany- How to make it an even greater event!

Moritz and I have come up with a very fun tradition: Each year we try to put together a buffet that consists of food and drinks from as many participating countries (or countries that could participate – in case I didn’t want to wait till the results of the semi-finals to find out which products I should buy :-)) as possible. Thanks to this tradition we have tried things we would have probably never considered taking from the shelf in the supermarket if not for this event. Believe me, it is a lot of fun trying all the different food and drinks from this All-European-And-Beyond buffet!

So here’s what I found in the supermarket for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2017:

Eurovision Drinks

• representing Switzerland: rivella Lemonade
• representing Australia: Bundaberg Ginger Beer
• representing Hungary: Balaton Red Wine
• representing Portugal: Antonio Lopes White Wine
• representing Denmark: Carlsberg Beer

Eurovision Buffet

• representing Germany: Swabian noodles (Spätzle) with lentils
• representing The Netherlands: Old Amsterdam Cheese
• representing Greece: Dolmadakia Stuffed Wine Leaves
• representing Spain: Spanish Olives
• representing Poland: Cwikla Beet Root relish
• representing France: French Onion Soup
• representing Austria: Vienna Sausage with mashed potatoes
• representing Bulgaria: Djuwetsch Mixed Vegetables
• representing Italy: Bruschetta

Eurovision Dessert

• representing Belgium: Waffles
• representing Bosnia and Herzegovina: Eurocrem Chocolate Dessert
• representing Iceland: Skyr Yogurt

Eurovision Snacks

• representing Serbia: Munchmallows
• representing the Czech Republic: Karlsbader wafers
• representing the UK: Salt and Vinegar Crisps
• representing Croatia: Domacica cookies

21 items representing 21 counties! Not too bad! I 2016 I only had 13 different products.

Real pros don’t buy stuff from the convenient food section in the supermarket of course but prepare everything themselves. ;-P Due to a lack of cooking skills and time I became a huge fan of the international food shelf in our local EDEKA supermarket :-)!

Next to the buffet, we always have a list of all the participating countries and play jury ourselves. The artists get points for their songs, their performances and their dresses. Usually, we come up with a very different result, compared to the one from the voting procedure. 🙂

I hope you have as much fun watching the ESC as we do! If you organize an Eurovision Buffet, too, please sent me a picture! 🙂

The post A guide to celebrating the Eurovision Song Contest in Germany appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

5. Because of the music

You will hear song’s from 26 different performers. But don’t even think you will have to listen to granny-style folk music the whole night. The styles of music performed in Stockholm include singer-songwriter songs, pop and rock music and (pop-)chansons. And believe me, the performances will be as different and unique as the countries, the singers stem from.

4. Because of the dresses

Next to the music, the dresses of the artists are a good reason to watch the Eurovision Song Contest. Take the German singer Jamie-Lee for example, with her love of colorful dresses in Japanese Decora Kei style. Moreover, the stage-wear of the Australian singer is supposed to be very special, too (before you ask: Yes! Australia will participate in the contest for the second time this year. Dear Aussis: Welcome to the European Union – ups – Eurovision Song Contest!). Some dresses will be beautiful, some really weird – but it will definitely be fun seeing them on stage!

3. Because of the fun

Moritz and I have created a tradition: Each time we watch the European Song Contest we have an All-European-Buffet. We try to get food from as many of the participating countries as possible. This year we managed to get the following (in the order of appearance tonight):

• representing Belgium: Waffles
• representing the Netherlands: Heineken Beer
• representing Italy: Pizza
• representing Israel: Falafel
• representing Germany: Candy “Kracher” in the colours of our national flag

• representing France: Macarons

• representing Poland: Apple juice (I found this brand in the international section of our supermarket. Not sure if it’s famous in Poland but it’s produced there… 🙂

• representing Australia: Wine from Down Under

• representing Serbia: Munchmallows (I found those in the international section of our supermarket, too! I hope they are good.)

• representing Croatia: Ki-Ki Candy (this new section in the supermarket is just awesome!)

• representing Russia: Pickled Cherry Tomatos

• representing Spain: Sangria
• representing the UK: Tea and Whisky

13 different items. Not too bad! 🙂

Next to the All-European-Buffet, we always have a list of all the participating countries and play jury ourselves. The artists get points for their song, their performance and their dresses. Usually, we come up with a very different result, compared to the one from the voting procedure. 🙂

2. Because of the European spirit

We Europeans tend to forget that we are part of a continent with many different cultures. On the one hand, due to the European Union, we feel we are connected closely with our neighbour countries: we pay with the same money (well, at least most of us), we consume the same goods, we can travel to and live where ever we want…. On the other hand, we are different and unique, due to our cultural backgrounds. And it is on this night once a year, that we get reminded on how colourful good old Europe is. It’s the European spirit, sitting next to us on the couch in front of the tv, clapping hands and singing along. I love it! 🙂

1. Because it’s awesome

What can I say, the European Song Contest is just awesome! So make sure you won’t miss it tonight!! Enjoy and have lots of fun!

Do you like the European Song Contest, too, or do you think it’s a very strange event? And if you like it, do you have a special tradition, too? Let me know in the comments!! 🙂

More information about:

Eurovision Song Contest 2016

The post 5 reasons why you shouldn’t miss the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 tonight! appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.

So here’s what we found this year:

• Glenfiddich Whisky and Toffee, representing the UK
• Sangria, representing Spain
• Macedonian wine, representing Macedonia
• Macarons, representing France
• Paracini and Pizza, representing Italy
• Marillenknödel, representing Austria
• Falafel and dates, representing Israel
• Hungarian Pepper, representing Hungary
• Olives and stuffed wine leaves, representing Greece
• Mediterranean Baguettes, representing all Mediterranean countries
• Stuffed pepper, representing Turkey
• Swiss cheese, representing Switzerland

Hmmmmm, can’t wait to start (and I know who’s stomachs will we acing by tomorrow!)

Anyone else watching the Song Contest tonight? I’d love to hear your ideas about how to celebrate it !

More information about:

Eurovision Song Contest

The post Preparing for the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 appeared first on Living in Stuttgart.