Third October - Germany Reunification Day - Re-enacting Reunification using Puppets

3rd October is celebrated as "Tag Der Deutschen Einheit", German Reunification Day. On 3rd October 1990 East Germany has been reunited with West Germany and marked the fall of famous Berlin Wall (Berliner Mauer) which separated East and West Germany.

18 years now yet there are vast differences in East and Western parts of Federal Republic of Germany. The East complaints about the indifferences showed by West and West complaints about too much favoritism showed towards East. Western Germans shell about 5.5 % of Solidarity surcharge towards taxes on their income to support the development of East Germany. Offlate there has been quite a lot of frustration both in East and West for their own differences (economic crisis could also be a factor). Well, still it is an open question, were the East and the West prepared for re-unification? Definitely it does take time for both the parts to be perfectly re-united given that they give-up their differences and change their attitudes towards each other.

This year, to mark the re-unification celebrations, a spectacular Puppet parade re-enacting the reunification has been led thru the streets of Berlin. One puppet, 5.5mts height and 800 kgs has been efficintly controlled and made not only to walk but ride scooter and a boat. One other puppet, 9.5mts height and 2.5 tons has been depicted as a deep-sea diver.

The two puppets depict the following tale: Terrible events have torn a city in two and caused one part of the city to be walled in. The big puppet is stuck in the west of the city, and the smaller one in the east. The big puppet drags a dormant geyser along the riverbed and places it under a wall. Then it ignites the geyser to let it break down the city's barrier and allow the puppets to reunite.

The puppets are made so realistic and very efficiently enacted with emotions too. Watch the vidoes:
Video 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnP-CyfUuxo

Video 2:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1jQcVfwnyg

Image Courtesy and Excerpts from: www.spiegel.de