Today, Google doodlers remember an important day in World history. October 3, 1990 marked the formal announcement of the reunification of the two sides of Germany. It was actually in November when the Berlin Wall, one of the symbols of division in the Western World, came down. But, due to other events that make the date inappropriate as a German national holiday, the day of the formal announcement of the re-founding of Germany’s five states was chosen to mark the German Reunification Day. This holiday is celebrated as a legal national holiday in the Federal Republic of Germany.
The Google Doodle for October 3, 2012 featured the Berlin Wall with one section broken where the Google logo crosses over. The logo was stylized in the colors of the German flag – black, red, and gold. On the wall and on the Google letters are people sitting and waving their arms in jubilation.
The artistic treatment of this Google Doodle for the commemoration of the German Reunification Day is simple and straightforward. There is none of the quiet symbolisms and visual narratives. Nevertheless, the Doodle is clearly celebratory of the unification that took a century to achieve.
Prior to 1990, East and West Germany each had their own celebration of the “Day of Unity.” In East Germany, they used to celebrate the Day of the Republic on October 7, while in West Germany, the Day of German Unity on June 17. The new national holiday held on October 3 is marked by festivals and events all over Germany.
This national holiday is marked with ceremonies and festivities in what is called as Burgerfest, which is held in the state capital of whichever state is in charge of presiding over the Bundesrat each year. There is also an open-air festival at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate. All over the country, the Oktoberfest, various beer and wine festivals, as well as art exhibitions are held around this time of the year.
