Patchwork Designs > HISTORICALLY SPEAKING AUSTRALIA PATCH PROGRAM

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING AUSTRIA PATCH PROGRAM
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1. The German name for Austria, Österreich, means "Eastern borderlands", it derives from the word Ostarrîchi. Locate Austria on a map and its Capital. Identify it’s flag. The capital city is Vienna. Austria’s flag is red and white striped.

2. German is the official language spoken in Austria. Austrian German, which is almost identically the same as traditional German with just a few vocabulary differences, is used in media and school programs. Choose a language to learn how to speak a phrase or some words.

3. Austrian cuisine is derived from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is rich in beef, pork and Vegetables. It has many different aspects of other cultural cuisines such as Hungarian, Bohemia Czech, Jewish, Italian, Balkan, and French. Typical Austrian dishes include Wiener Schnitzel, Schweinsbraten, Kaiserschmarren, Knödel, Sachertorte and Tafelspitz Try some foods from Austria or make a recipe from Austria.

4. Austria is predominantly a Christian country. Therefore they celebrate holidays such as Christmas, Easter, Whit Sunday, Corpus Christi and St. Stephens Day. Austria also has many cultural festivals that celebrate the culture and traditions of Austria. Visit a cultural celebration or re-creation of a holiday event OR learn the background of the celebrated holiday or festival. You may also create a drawing or art project, or prepare a food.

5. Viennese festivals usually have four long sets of dances, with long breaks and figure dancing in between. Other parts of Austria have a larger number of shorter blocks (three to five dances each) with shorter breaks between them, and more figure dancing. Figure dancing is a type of dance where different figures are put together with a certain tune and given a name. Round dancing, which includes the waltz, the polka, Zwiefacher etc., involves basic steps which can be danced to different tunes. In folk dancing, the waltz and the polka are in a different form to standard ballroom dancing. Learn a simple step from dances such as the waltz or the Polka.

6. Legends and folktales from Austria are often fairytales about princesses and princes, or mythical creatures. They often depict a heroes journey or adventure, or even the demise of an evil villain. Read a story, legend, OR listen to a legend or play from Austria.

7. Austria is famous for a special breed of show horse called the Lippizaner. Today, though found in many nations throughout Europe and North America, the breed is relatively rare, with only about 3,000 horses registered worldwide. Lipizzans have starred or played supporting roles in many movies, TV shows and books. The world-famous Spanish Riding School in Vienna Austria uses highly trained Lipizzan stallions in public performances that demonstrate classical dressage movements and training. Watch a movie or performance OR look at pictures of these famous horses of Austria OR create a craft.

8. Austria is known for many famous artists including Gustav Klimt, Albin Egger-Lienz, and Ernst Fuchs. Apart from fine art, Austria is known for traditional crafts such as hand-painted porcelain, ceramics, handmade dolls, wrought-iron work, petit-point needlework, knitwear, down quilts, wood-carvings, and leather goods. Create a craft or project using a traditional a skill OR representing Austria, OR observe someone creating a handicraft OR view them on the internet or books.

9. Austria is rich is music and famous musicians throughout history. Perhaps one of the most recognized would be Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart is considered to be the world’s greatest composer. Learn more about Austrian’s music OR musicians OR create a craft OR listen to their music.

10. Traditionally, a 'tracht' identified a person as belonging to a particular group in terms of social and legal status (married, single), origin or trade. Traditional female outfits consist of a closefitting bodice combined with an apron in a different color. Sometimes its sleeveless and worn with a cotton and lace blouse, sometimes it features sleeves and a high neck. Traditional male outfits consist of 'Lederhosen', knee-length trousers or short-pants made from leather are worn with rustic shoes and wool socks. Draw a picture of the clothing, dress up in an Austrian themed costumes, create an accessory or pagne, complete our paper dolls OR view traditional clothing through books or the internet or our country manual.

11. There are a variety of games that played in Austria by children. Learn a traditional game OR play a game that symbolizes Austria OR play a water game OR play a game in our manual. Some examples include: Catch Me, Art Tag, Little Star, or Halli Halo.