Hessen is enriched with culture and arts. Many famous people were born in Hessen. Melody Perkins, Gary Weeks, Simone Signoret, John McEnroe, and Karin Dor are a few one of them. These five actors all happen to have been born in Wiesbaden, the capital city. Hessen has many festivals and celebrations throughout the year. Hessentag is the oldest state festival in Germany. It's held in a different region of Hessen every year. This festival celebrates the cultures and traditions of Hessen. The Documenta is a 100 day long event featuring contemporary art. This is held every 5 years in Kassel, another city in Hessen. The Frankfurt Book Fair is the world's largest trade fair. Publishers and multimedia companies come from all over the world to negotiate deals and fees. Some popular foods and dishes in Hessen are Kasseler Rippchen (smoked pork ribs), Reibekuchen (potato pancakes), and Blechkuchen (sheet cake). Hessen food is influenced a lot by its neighboring states like Thuringia and Bavaria. People in Hessen play many different sports. The most popular sports include football, tennis, swimming, rugby and baseball. There are two main religions in Hessen. 48% of people are Protestants and 30% are Roman Catholic. The rest of the population belongs to mostly Islam or Buddhism. The pictures shown above are Melody Perkins, people celebrating Hessentag, football, the Frankfurt Book Fair, and a plate of Kasseler Rippchen.
Here is the official state song of Hessen. It is called "Hessenlied." The lyrics are by Carl Preser and the music is by Albrechte Brede. It was written after World War II to represent the Hessen identity.