Agape - the celebration following a German wedding

Does anyone know if there is an english word for an Agape? Would it be a champagne reception, or is there a better word for it?

Is this supposed to be a German word?

Wiki calls it "love" and compares it to the Latin caritas (or at least the German site does).

It's greek, for a love feast.

think it's greek word, I've only come across it in a religious context

Hence my confusion...

An agape is what usually follows weddings here... like you mingle and drink champagne or mimosas. I'm trying to figure out what to call it on our wedding invites for the non-German speakers. And 'love feast' doesn't sound too classy.

isn't it already an English word - agape? as in wide mouthed...?

"Champagne and h'or deurves"? (I can't spell that word)

In which context do you mean? Agape is two things. It means "brotherly love" and in plural it can be used to describe a religious feast. A champagne reception is something completely different. Normally held in the time between a wedding ceremony and the main reception, a champagne reception includes alcoholic beverages as well as non-alcoholic and sometimes a few hor d'oeuvre.

edit: The Greeks differientiated between types of love: eros, philia and agape.

Post-wedding mingle? I like the sound of that, paints a picture as it were.

Mrs. Peel... yea thats the english word Agape.. I'm talking about the Non-English word (greek or German or whatever it is) that is used to describe the short celebration directly following a wedding ceremony here in Germany.

no shit. It's Hor d'oeuvre.

@borg queen...what you described as the champagne reception is pretty much what an Agape is. Directly following the ceremony, but before the actual reception. Usually held at the place of the ceremony.

Thought it was English for being gobsmacked

I'll see your hor d'oeuvre and raise you an "s" to hors d'oeuvres (outside the work/main event).

Ok look..this is what i want to put ont he reception card:
Please join us for a
[translation of 'Agape' here]
after the ceremony,
followed by dinner and dancing at 6:30pm

sounds fun anyway... it involves champagne!

It's called 'Sektempfang'

"Champagne reception" sounds nice

@Lassie, sorry for being so uncouth again
@Sarabyrd, thanks for putting him back in his place (under my boot)

Also known as the "thank god that's out of the way, here with the porter and a short one" in Ireland.

@kwenga ... whats called sektempfang? A sektempfang pretty translates directly into a champagne reception... and I am wondering if that is the same as an Agape, or if there is a better translation of it.

Hors d'œuvres

i also would have said sektempfang. sektempfang can include snacks and (other) drinks...

Hi Erdbeer,

I only know that the agape feast is very specific to a religious ceremony. Champagne receptions can be for weddings (at the church and in the church) or for any other event. But an agape is very specifically religious, so you wouldn't use the word "agape" to describe a type of meal after a business conference for instance.

Here is a wiki link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agape_feast

edit: does she want the English or German word?

@planetmoni ... ok thanks, thats probably what I'll go with then

Auf Deutsche Agape Feast = Liebesmahlfeier but is strictly used for religious feast only.

Borg,
thanks but I think that might be soemthign different... an Agape here is a celebration directly following a wedding where champagne and maybe some hors d' ouvres are served..not a real meal. I think I read somewhere that back in the day they used to drink wine and eat bread or somethng.

For a wedding I would just say Champagne reception or Sektempfang (as suggested).

edit: Erdbeer, yes I know I was just trying to understand what context it was going to be used in.

Ok here is an explanaition in german: Unter Agape versteht man den Sektempfang aller Feiergäste vor der Kirche, nachdem die Trauung vollzogen worden ist.
So then its pretty much a champagne reception, in front of the church or whereever right after the ceremony.

Genau Well now I have learned something that I didn't know before. So the Germans call it "Agape" instead of champagne reception or Sektempfang? Is that just the Catholics?

Borg Queen I think you are right on your definition. None of the German catholic weddings I went to had Agape but they all had Sektempfang.

As far as I know you can also call it The Wedding Breakfast, no matter at what time of the day it takes place?

Well, speaking for me i can honestly admit that i never heard the word agape in another then the classic greek sense of platonic love. And i do pride myself in having a much larger vocabulary then most germans. I'm really not a marriage expert tho, so that doesnt necissarily mean anything

Mr. Fixit, you have to start spelling "necessarily" and "of course" correctly. You have always written "of cause" since I have known you. It's cute though
We all respect how difficult it can be to write in a language that is not our mother-tongue..some of us (myself included) can hardly manage with English! LOL

edit: and thanks for helping me on the German language forums when I sound like a complete idiot...it's hard to discuss certain things in German.. very hard!

Oh, ok. I got married in Germany and had a Sektemfpang. I couldn't figure out for the life of me wtf an "Agape" was and why I didn't get one. Who uses the word Agape in German?

@Jenny L- u woz robbed!

In Scotland, it would translate as 'Piss up'.

ok maybe Agape is more of an Austrian word then... I guess thats where I've seen it/ heard it the most.

Great. NOW you tell me.
O well ... the 'of course' thing ... no idea when that started ... its kinda embarrassing.

The 'necessary' i knew, thats just a serial typo ... but the 'of cause' hmm ... no excuse i guess.

Thanks for pointing it out anyway - Your're always welcome to help me improve my english in any way ... even if it embarrasses me

@erdbeere- Yeah, I was wondering if it's a word that used regionally or if I got screwed out of mine. I think the German word for a piss up would be Polterabend. Though I'm not sure they have those in this neck of the German woods. What a great party that is though!

Doesn't Batman have agape ?

In Switzerland those things (whether wedding, fun or work related) were always called 'Aperos'. A much overused word, everything was an Apero.

Here is the Greek Wiki entry for Agapo with all of the translations: http://io.wiktionary.org/wiki/agapo

check this out hon:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aperitif
you were dead on

Oh, but you didnt !
On the contrary, you sounded intelligent enough to eventually realise what a load of crap you were actually writing

I've received a wedding invitation today, that says

"Im Anschluss an die Trauung laden wir bis ca. 16:00 Uhr zu einem Sektempfang ein"

If I understand correctly, we are invited to the 'champagne reception' until 4 which implies that then we piss off while the people with the full invites go the dinner afterwards? Is this German equivalent of like the 'afters' except that's it's before meal.

In most circles, it is simply referred to in English as the "Reception", or wedding dinner / meal. Sometimes the day is divided into sections, so smaller groups attend various parts, ie family at the wedding ceremony, then friends etc can attend the reception, then everyone comes to the Party (or informally - the "Do"). The reception part comes from the tradition of receiving, ie greeting the guests in a line format and getting presents.

Sounds like a Champagne Breakfast the celebration of the start of your marriage

So will we be fed at it? Does it mean the reception or the Sektempfang is over at 16:00?