Bangaranga at the German Society

Philadelphia, Pa. – Who would have thought? Bulgaria took home the Eurovision trophy by a wide margin, surpassing Israel at the last minute thanks to the viewers’ vote. Guests at the German Society of Pennsylvania held their breath as they tried to make sense of one of the most unpredictable voting rounds in recent Eurovision history.

Neighboring countries that would usually exchange their famous “douze points” instead awarded them to other standout performers. Germany, meanwhile, ended the night without receiving a single set of twelve points from any national jury.

Still, the outcome did little to dampen the atmosphere at 611 Spring Garden Street. More than 100 attendees proudly represented either the countries they were born in or the nationalities they adopted for the evening as they cheered on their favorite acts.

Board member Maiken Scott, for example, was a strong supporter of established Australian singer Delta Goodrem. Her song “Eclipse” finished fourth in the competition, earning twelve points from the juries of Armenia, Israel and Romania.

Some attendees were so inspired by the event that they even became members of the Society and expressed interest in staying involved. One attendee, Conner, mentioned that he had missed this year’s registration deadline for language classes but is already looking forward to the next session beginning in mid-September.

Although Germany did not place near the top of the scoreboard, we were proud to support our contestant, Sarah Engels from Köln, and we wish her continued success in her music career.

To everyone who joined us for the event, we hope you had a fantastic time. We look forward to returning next year when we can say, “Добре дошли в България” (“Welcome to Bulgaria”).

Until then: Bangaranga, friends.

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