11:11am.
February 15th 2007.
Thursday.
The single most dangerous day of the year.
The day when developers and DBAs all over Germany and Luxembourg cower under their desks, hide behind their monitors and refuse to leave the safety of the server room.
The day on which the slightest hint of a snipping sound, the merest momentary glint of sunlight off sharpened metal has grown men in IT running for the sanctuary of the coffee machine.
Especially if they’re wearing a tie.
Why?
Because today is Weiberfastnacht (best stick to Women’s Carnival Day if you’re not a German speaker), the day on which women assume complete power.
And that means one thing:
Any man foolish enough to be seen wearing a tie today runs the risk of having it mercilessly cut off by a crazed woman with a pair of scissors/knife/garden shears.
Or worse.
Forget your rights, this is tradition.
Just accept it.
Certainly one of the oddest local practices ever experienced by this particular writer. Though I do have the good fortune to have a compassionate manager who warned me not to wear my best one to work today.
Working in a professional environment with lots of men in suits walking around with hacked off, knotted, ragged pieces of cloth around their necks is a strange experience.
There goes another one…
So, what’s the strangest local practice you’ve ever heard of (and keep it decent, please!!)?
February 15th 2007.
Thursday.
The single most dangerous day of the year.
The day when developers and DBAs all over Germany and Luxembourg cower under their desks, hide behind their monitors and refuse to leave the safety of the server room.
The day on which the slightest hint of a snipping sound, the merest momentary glint of sunlight off sharpened metal has grown men in IT running for the sanctuary of the coffee machine.
Especially if they’re wearing a tie.
Why?
Because today is Weiberfastnacht (best stick to Women’s Carnival Day if you’re not a German speaker), the day on which women assume complete power.
And that means one thing:
Any man foolish enough to be seen wearing a tie today runs the risk of having it mercilessly cut off by a crazed woman with a pair of scissors/knife/garden shears.
Or worse.
Forget your rights, this is tradition.
Just accept it.
Certainly one of the oddest local practices ever experienced by this particular writer. Though I do have the good fortune to have a compassionate manager who warned me not to wear my best one to work today.
Working in a professional environment with lots of men in suits walking around with hacked off, knotted, ragged pieces of cloth around their necks is a strange experience.
There goes another one…
So, what’s the strangest local practice you’ve ever heard of (and keep it decent, please!!)?
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