Winter Postillion - Saskatchewan German Council

HIstory of Germans
from Russia, Part 15
Alvin knoll
As the Christmas season is upon us, I thought I would
touch upon some of the traditions that the settlers
brought with them from their Alsatian-Franconian
homeland. Many of the customs celebrated at this time
of year were steeped in religion and tradition.
There is a story of a parish Priest asking his students to name the three
high feast days of the year. The answer he received was Die heilige
Fasenacht, die heilige Sauschlacht, und die heilige Karwe (Kirchweihfest)!
Even the lowly slaughtering day was considered a family feast day and
children were usually granted time off from school to help.
With the start of Advent (4 weeks before Christmas) all festivities such
as dancing and wedding celebrations were forbidden. Everyone waited
with anticipation for the upcoming Christmas celebrations. On December
21st the young people celebrated Lange Nacht. One practice was
that the young ladies were permitted on this evening to continue their
spinning bees well into the early hours of the next morning. At midnight
they would take a break and invite their sweethearts into the spinning
room for coffee and cake. After a short time they would resume spinning
while the young men would sing songs or play practical jokes. Beware if
a thread broke or a young fellow was able to catch a spool, for the unfortunate
girl could only redeem it with a kiss!
At last it was Christmas Eve, a time when the Christkindl was to arrive.
Now a young girl always played the Christkindl, never a man. This goes
back in time to the milde Perchta, the kind fairy also known as Mother
Holle in ancient German folklore. The Christkind was usually accompanied
by Belzenickl, a rather uncouth fellow dressed in hides (usually
sheepskins) and a terrible mask. He had a very large chain around his
waist and carried a large switch and sack on his shoulder. He sometimes
stuffed a mischievous lad into that sack when he departed from his visit.
The young fellows were usually dumped somewhere in a neighbouring
snowbank. The younger children, although somewhat traumatized,
accepted Belzenickl as part of this tradition and the good children always
received a special treat from this legendary figure.
Another tradition, one with which I am quite familiar, is that of Names’
Days. In the Catholic Church tradition people are given a saint’s name,
either as a first or middle name from the church calendar. For example
there is St. Barbara on December 8th, St. Thomas on Dec. 21st and my
own father’s name’s day, St. John, on December 27. Now for our family
this was a time when uncles, aunts and cousins came together to
celebrate. Our small farmhouse was packed with people. While the elders
played cards the younger cousins would play games. There was always
lots to eat as it was only a couple of days after Christmas! I remember
everyone arriving in the evening after chores were done, and all the
winter coats were thrown on a bed in one of the bedrooms and the card
playing began in earnest. I have asked our Bishop about this practice.
He was aware of it and he told me that it is only practiced by German
Catholics; he was not aware of any other Catholic countries celebrating
these Names Days.
The twelve days of Christmas (December 25 to January 6th) were called
the Zwischen den Jahren or the days between the old year and the new.
On December 28 the young unmarried men would run through the
streets with a birch rod and playfully switch any young girls they happened
to meet, all the while chanting Frisches Grün, neues Leben!
On Silvesterabend (New Year’s Eve) there were many festivities. Now if
the fire in the stove happened to go out on this night, the young, single
marriageable girl in the household would say “O du liewe Ofebank, du brauchsch
Holz un ich a Mann! In the early hours of New Year’s Day groups
of young men, armed with shotguns made their rounds from house to
house, to “shoot in” the New Year. At every house where they stopped,
they fired the traditional shots and were welcomed in by the owners for a
quick shot of wine or vodka and they then proceeded to the next neighbour.
This brings me to my own story of my Großvater and Großmutter.
It happened on New Year’s Eve 1921 in Kendal, Saskatchewan. They had
only been married in November. It was late in the evening when all of a
sudden there was noise out in the farmyard. The dog was barking and
there was lots of whooping. Großvater went to the window to look out.
It was of course dark outside and with oil lanterns burning inside, he
couldn’t see much, so he cupped his hands to peer out and that’s when
his friends let loose with their shotguns. Poor Großvater was so startled
that he backed up into the room and fell over. You can imagine my
Großmutter’s reaction. She was heard to say, Jesus Gott, jetzt haben Die
mein Mann geschossen! A little excitement no doubt! I never did hear if
Großmutter invited the culprits in for their drink!
Well there is so much more to write on this special season, but I will end
with Frohe Weihnachten und alles Gute im neuen Jahr!
Office of the Honorary Consul
of Germany for Saskatchewan
Barbara Hoggard-Lulay
823 Brookhurst Bay , Saskatoon, SK S7V 1G1
Phone: 306-979-4911 Fax: 306-979-4912
E-mail: saskatoon@hk-diplo.de
Office Hours:
Tuesdays & Thursdays by appointment
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