No church tax that I know of. I remember black (!) velvet saggy bags on top of a stick that where passed along the bench rows where we put in nickles and dimes, called "collecte".
Of course the rich people put in old useless buttons
.
(we children made that up in our home made radio plays)
For the rest you've all worked it out and I've made the virtual trip to Köln. Christmas has always been celebrated as a family feast, only without Santa C and presents, but always with the tree and true candles up to the mid-sixtees.
In spite of statistics and mushrooms, the country's culture has been till this day dominated by Calvinistic morals since the end of the spanish reign and religious civil war's ending in the beginning of the 17th century. (but see Pook,
globbelism has changed a lot on the surface)
(thanks for all the links, I can't do much searching; as long as I don't have my own computer back I 'm just a wandering visitor).
OP
