History lesson

Over the weekend I heard this story and I found it quite interesting and wanted to pass it along. Going off of last week's post about Budenfest this is another little cultural moment.
For those who do not know, pretzels are absolutely HUGE over here. It seems wherever you go, you can find them, especially this time of year. Right now out in Munich the Germans are celebrating "Oktoberfest" originally a wedding celebration that has turned into a huge beer festival that attracts over 6 million people in a three week stretch, where over 7 million liters of beer are sold. After reading the history about the pretzel it seems a little odd for the pretzel to be so common at Oktoberfest. But pretzels along with cookies in the shape of a heart are everywhere you look. I am still looking into the history of the cookies. Until I figure it out, enjoy the history of the pretzel:
According to legend, a young monk in the early 600s in Germany was preparing a special Lenten bread of water, flour and salt. To remind his brother monks that Lent was a time of prayer, he rolled the bread dough in strips and then shaped each strip in the form of crossed arms, mimicking the then popular prayer position of folding one’s arms over each other on the chest. The bread was then baked as a soft bread, just like the big soft pretzels one can find today. (To be fair, some traditions date the story to even the 300s.)

Because these breads were shaped into the form of crossed arms, they were called bracellae, the Latin word for "little arms." From this word, the Germans derived the word bretzel which has since mutated to the familiar word pretzel.

Another possibility for the origins of the word pretzel is that the young monk gave these breads to children as a reward when they could recite their prayers. The Latin word pretiola means "little reward," from which pretzel could also be reasonably derived.

Apparently, this simple Lenten food became very popular. Pretzels were enjoyed by all people. They became a symbol of good luck, long life and prosperity. Interestingly, they were also a common food given to the poor and hungry. Not only were pretzels easy to give to someone in need, but also they were both a substantial food to satisfy the hunger and a spiritual reminder of God knowing a person’s needs and answering our prayers.