Germans get patriotic for World Cup

BERLIN, June 13 (Reuters) They hang from balconies, stick out of cars and some people are even wrapping themselves up in them.

With the World Cup in full swing, Germans are breaking out national flags in a colourful outpouring of patriotism that appears to have no precedent in the postwar era.

Shops across the country are full of hats, shirts, scarves and aprons in German red, black and gold. Fans are painting the flag on their arms, cheeks and foreheads.

The Arnold family near Frankfurt even painted its house in the national colours two weeks ago and has vowed to leave it that way until 2010 if Germany wins the World Cup.

''The neighbours think it's wonderful. The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive,'' Guenter Arnold told Reuters.

The nationalistic fervour in Berlin and other German cities and towns might not seem unusual if it were in the United States, where households fly the stars-and-stripes year-round, or in England, where St George flags have been fluttering for weeks in anticipation of the World Cup.

But in Germany, overt patriotism has been frowned upon since the defeat of Adolf Hitler's ultra-nationalist Nazi regime in World War Two. An entire generation of postwar Germans has been taught to avoid the displays of national pride that are now sprouting up across the country.

When West Germany won the World Cup at home in 1974, the celebrations were focused on the team and its leading players Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Mueller.

Sixteen years later, when West Germany hoisted the World Cup trophy in Italy only months before reunification, the nation also kept its patriotic zeal in check.

Now it is those Germans who are reluctant to fly the flag who seem out of touch with the general mood. When the Berlin police chief ordered a ban on officers flying the flag on their patrol cars, he was criticised by politicians and the media.

AMERICAN-STYLE CONFIDENCE ''I think the identification with Germany and the team is great.

If we create a bit more patriotism along the way, then that's good too,'' German national coach Juergen Klinsmann told reporters today.

Klinsmann who lives in southern California has talked often about injecting more American-style confidence in his squad and bemoaned German negativity.

In recent World Cups, very few Germany players sang the national anthem before matches, but that too is changing.

According to media reports, German midfielder Bernd Schneider urged everyone on the team to sing the anthem ahead of Germany's World Cup kick-off match against Costa Rica. On Friday in Munich, all the players appeared to be singing or moving their lips, even if some did not seem to know all the words.

Jesko Kaltenbaek, a Berlin psychology professor, said the simple fact that the World Cup was being held in Germany was the main reason for the unusual patriotic outpouring.

''We have a huge event where the entire world is looking at Germany. And of course people want to show that they are proud of their country and stand behind their national team,'' Kaltenbaek said.

For others like Andreas Geitel, head of a Berlin textile house that prints German flags for commercial sale, the new patriotism is just good business.

''We've started working three shifts,'' he said. ''So far we've sold twice as many flags so far as we did during the entire World Cup in 2002.'' REUTERS DH ND2148