Spring 2012 - Saskatchewan German Council

Transcription

POSTILLION
Der Rundbrief des Saskatchewan German Councils.
Volume 27, Issue 1
Spring
2012
1
SGC Member Organizations
American Historical Society of Germans From Russia, Regina
Austrian Canadian Edelweiss Club, Regina
Austrian Edelweiss Dance Association, Regina
Battlefords & District German Heritage Language School
Community Radio Society of Saskatoon Inc.
Concordia Alpenrose Schuhplattler Verein
Das Schulhaus - Regina German Language School Inc.
Department of Internation Language, U of R
Estevan & District German Freundschaft Society
Folkart Co-op Humboldt
German Canadian Club Concordia, Saskatoon
German Canadian Society Harmonie, Regina
German Heritage Society of Humboldt & District Inc.
German Junior Folk Dancers, Saskatoon
German Language School Saskatoon Inc.
German Russian Cultural Group, Leader
German Students’ Association - U of S
Hansel & Gretel Preschool Inc.
Imhoff Heritage Society, St. Walburg
Jagd- und Fischverein “Waidmann’s Lust”, Regina
Karnevalsgesellschaft Harmonie, Regina
Kochlöffel & Nudelholz: German-Canadian Koch- und Backstudio
Lloydminster German Heritage Society Inc.
Melville & District German Heritage Club
Mennonite Heritag Village, Swift Current
Parents Association of German Language Schools, Saskatoon
Prince Albert German Canadian Club Waldhorn
Regina German Film Club
Saskatchewan Association of Teachers of German, Saskatoon
Saskatchewan German Culture Assistance Fund Inc.
Saskatoon German Days
SKAT Club Saskatoon
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Regina
Village of Edenwold
Volksliederchor Concordia, Saskatoon
Volksliederchor Harmonie Inc., Regina
Zichydorf Village Association, Regina
2011-2012
SGC Board of Directors
President
Ilona Beck
Rouleau 776-2432
Vice President
Josephin Dick
Saskatoon 477-1427
Past President
Andrew Grzesina
Regina 584-1872
Treasurer
Ray Fichter
Regina 789-6336
Secretary
Darrell Dick
Saskatoon 222- 2477
Directors
Franziska Davies, Saskatoon 292-2117
Rod Gellner, Regina 761-2913
Ulrike Hecker, Saskatoon 651-0436
Les Lautner, Prince Albert 922-5365
Amanda Stehwien, Saskatoon 612-0628
Michael Zimmermann, Regina 249-0108
Consultant
Barbara Hoggard-Lulay, Saskatoon 979-4911
Staff
Sabine Doebel-Atchison, M.A., Executive Director
Andrea MacLeod, M.A., Office & Program Assistant
Hannelies Kuehnle, Immigrant Settlement Advisor & Pension Advisor
Vicky Maurus, Project Coordinator
Contents
Aus dem Büro/From the Office
4
Grüße von der Präsidentin
5
Greetings from the President
6
Der neue Project Coordinator Introduction of the new
Project Coordinator7
Rolling Calendar of Events
8
History of the Germans from Russia, part 89
Auf den Spuren der schwäbischenalemannischen Fastnacht10
What is Fastnacht, Fasnet or Fasching? 11
Nikolaus and Christmas Celebrations
in Regina13
SGC Recipe Corner
Schweizer Wurstsalat - Swiss Sausage Salad14
News from SGC Member Groups
15
Community Radio Station Saskatoon 15
Concordia Alpenrose Schuhplattler Verein15
Das Schulhause - Regina German
Language School Inc.
16
German-Canadian Society Harmonie 17
German Cultural Centre
17
German Heritage Society of Humboldt
& District. Inc.
18
German Junior Folk Dancers
18
German Language School Saskatoon 22
22
Jagd- und Fischverein “Waidmann’s Lust”23
Karnevalsgesellschaft Harmonie
24
Prince Albert German Canadian
Club “Waldhorn”
24
25
SKAT Club Saskatoon
27
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church 27
Village of Edenwold
28
Volksliederchor Concordia
29
Volksliederchor Harmonie
30
Saskatchewan German Council Inc.
510 Cynthia Street
Saskatoon, SK S7L 7K7
phone: (306) 975-0845
fax: (306) 242-8007
e-mail: [email protected]
webseite: www.saskgermancouncil.org
3
From the Office
Aus dem Büro
Sabine Doebel-Atchison
Sabine Doebel-Atchison
After a relatively mild winter we are looking forward to
spring time. After having been in charge of SGC office
operations for a year, Andreas Denz had his last day at
the office in mid-February. Knowing my one-year old
daughter Katharina well taken care off in her daycare,
I really enjoy being back at the office. I look forward
to working with all our members again and hope to see
everyone soon.
On March 1 we welcomed a new staff member at
the SGC office. Vicky Maurus started her position as
Project Coordinator. For now it is only an 8 months
contract, but hopefully we will be able to make it a permanent position in the future.
You will probably already have noticed that this Postillion is a little thicker compared to other issues. Thank
you to everyone who submitted an interesting article. I
hope that you will enjoy reading the Postillion and that
we look forward to receiving your feedback. Just send
an e-mail to [email protected] or call
us at the office.
Nach einem relativ milden Winter freuen wir uns nun
aus den Frühling. Nachdem Andreas Denz die SGC Geschäfte für ein Jahr geführt hat, hatte er mitte Februar
seinen letzten Tag im Büro. Da ich weiss, dass meine
einjährige Tochter Katharina in ihrer Kita gut aufgehoben ist, freue ich mich um so mehr wieder im Büro
zu sein. Außerdem freue ich mich auch darauf wieder
mit unseren SGC Mitgliedern zusammen zu arbeiten
und hoffe, Sie alle recht bald wieder zu sehen.
Am 1. März haben wir eine neue Kollegin im SGC Büro
willkommen geheißen. Vicky Maurus hat die Position
des Project Coordinators übernommen. Zunächst einmal ist die Stelle auf aucht Monate befristet, aber wir
hoffen, dass wir daraus eine Vollzeitstelle machen können.
Wahrscheinlich ist Ihnen bereits aufgefallen, dass dieser
Postillion, im Vergleich zu vorherigen Ausgaben, etwas
dicker ist. Danke also an alle die einen interessanten
Artikel eingeschickt haben. Ich hoffe, sie werden Spaß
beim Lesen haben und möchten Sie auch dazu ermutigen uns Ihr Feedback zu schicken. Schicken Sie uns
einfach eine E-Mail an postillion@saskgermancouncil.
org oder rufen sie uns im Büro an.
Have an enjoyable spring time!
Genießen Sie den Frühling!
Do you know someone who has been in
Canada for 3 years or longer and would benefit
from becoming more involved in the community? Or families who feel as though they would
like to learn more about how to become connected to others in Saskatoon? Family service
Saskatoon, in partnership with Family Resource
programs Canada, is hoping to work with such
individuals and families to find resources within
the city to foster a stronger sense of belonging.
For more information about this project, including how to volunteer with individuals and families, please contact Bernie Holzer at 244-0127.
4
Interested un joining the SGC
Board? Contact the SGC office
([email protected])
for mor information.
Grüße von der Präsidentin
Ilona Beck
Obwohl die Temperaturen noch
deutlich auf Winter weisen, zeigt
der Kalender deutlich, dass der
Frühling naht. Viele in Saskatchewan nutzten die Wintermonate
für einen Aufenthalt im Süden und
kehren nun mit neuer Energie und
Sonne im Tank nach Hause zurück.
Einer der Eindrücke meiner Reise nach Südafrika war, dort eine
aktive deutsche Gemeinde vorgefunden zu haben. Viele sprechen neben den Landessprachen
Englisch und Afrikans fliessend
Deutsch, auch noch in der dritten/
vierten Generation, dank dem Bestreben der einzelnen Familien, die
viel Wert darauf legen die deutsche
Sprache aktiv in der Familie zu erhalten und den wertvollen Beiträgen, die deutschen Sprachschulen
in Südafrika leisten.
Frühling ist verbunden mit neuer
Energie, Sonnenkraft und Wärme
ebenso mit Ordnung machen, Entrümpeln , Planen und Organisieren.
Die warmen Sonnenstrahlen motivieren und scheinen die treibende
Kraft für neue Aufgaben zu sein.
Neue Energie treibt auch das Saskatchewan German Council voran.
Wir verabschieden uns von Andreas
Denz und danken ihm für die wertvollen Beiträge und Perspektiven,
die er als Interim Executive Director
für das Council geleistet hatte.
Gleichzeitig freuen wir uns auf
Sabine Doebel-Atchison, die nach
einem Jahr Elternzeit mit neuer
Energie, Plänen und vollem Tatendrang zum Arbeitsplatz zurückkehrt. Weiterhin begrüsse ich
Vicky Maurus , die sich als Projektkoordinatorin dem Team SGC
anschliessen wird. Ihr Aufgabenbereich umfasst die Vorbereitung
und Durchführung SGC eigener
Projekte sowie die Beratung und
Unterstützung der Mitgliedsgruppen in clubinternen Projekten. Die
Stelle der Projekkoordinatorin ist
erneut eine Möglichkeit des Councils Mitgliedsgruppen aktiv in ihren
Projekten zu unterstützen.
Eines der geplanten neuen SGC
Projekte ist die Vielfalt Deutschlands vorzustellen.
Ostern steht vor der Türe und
ich lade Sie ein, einen österlichen Strauß mit bunten Eiern zu
schmücken. Vielleicht nehmen Sie
sich Zeit mit Freunden, Kindern
oder Enkeln Eier auszublasen,
zu bemalen und den schönen
Osterbrauch neu in ihren Familien
aufleben zu lassen. Es macht
Spass und verbindet jung und alt!
In diesem Sinne wünsche ich
Frohe Ostern!
Scherenschnitt illustrations in this issue are
taken from the originals by
Waltraude Stehwien, courtesy of the artist.
Repoduction without permission is strictly
prohibited.
W. Stehwien
5
Greetings from the President
Ilona Beck
The warm sun seems to be the driving force for this new energy to
tackle these tasks. New energy also
thrives the Council. We say good bye
to Andreas Denz who provided the
Council with valuable contributions
as interim executive director over
the last year. At the same time I welcome back Sabine Doebel-Atchison.
After a one year maternity leave
she will return back to her position
packed with new energy, plans and
positive motivation. Further, I welcome Viktoria Maurus, who will
join the SGC team as the new project coordinator. Part of her responsibility will be to prepare and carry
out SGC internal projects as well as
consult and support member groups
in their own ventures. With the poSpring is associated with warm- sition of a projector coordinator the
ing sun, energy and strength as Council provides another means of
well as spring cleaning, declut- active support for member groups
tering, planning and organizing. in the province.
Though temperatures are still cold
and icy, a new page on the calendar shows that spring is near. Many
of you might have used the winter
months for a vacation down south
and return back home packed with
new energy. Travelling through
South Africa this winter I noticed
a very active German community.
Next to English and African many
speak fluently German even in the
third or fourth generations. Thanks
to the willingness of German families to keep the German language
active within the family and the
valuable contributions of the German language schools, German is
spoken widely in this part of the
world.
One of the first tasks will be to show
and celebrate the diversity of Germany and its different regions.
Easter is near! I would like to invite
you all to create an Easter bouquet
decorated with colorful eggs for the
spring festival. Maybe you can take
some time and show your kids, grand
kids or friends to blow out eggs, colour them and thus revive this Easter
tradition. It is fun for old and young!
Happy Easter!
German Cultural Tradition Books, Pins & Lanyards
Each book is filled with information on the specific holiday & tradition, including pictures, songs, and recipes. All books are written in German and English,
and you get 450 pages of reading material. They make a perfect gift for any
occasion or to teach your children and/or grandchildren about their heritage.
Each books costs $10 or buy all four for $35.
The set is already in its second edition and sells fast.
Don’t miss this opportunity.
Show your love for both cultures by displaying a pin with either the Austrian,
German, and Swiss flag together with the Canadian flag.
You never know where your keys are? Hook them to this usefuly lanyard printed with the German-Canadian flag. You will find your keys so much easier.
Pins are $2.50 and lanyards are $3.50.
Shipping and handling start at $3.00, depending on location and weight.
6
Der neue Project Coordinator
Vicky Maurus
Liebe Leserinnen und Leser des Postillion,
erlauben Sie mir mich kurz vorzustellen. Ich komme gebürtig aus einem schönen kleinen
Allgäuer Dorf zwischen Memmingen und Kempten. Dort verbrachte ich meine Kindheit und Jugendjahre bevor es mich in die weite Welt hinauszog.
Seit 20 Monaten sind mein Mann und ich nun hier in Saskatchewan und genießen das
Leben in dieser Provinz.
Mit langjähriger Berufserfahrung als Gruppenleiterin im sozialen Bereich freue ich
mich nun, meine Erfahrungen und Kenntnisse zum Wohle des Saskatchewan German
Councils einsetzen zu können.
Ich freue mich auf eine gute Zusammenarbeit und Ihre rege Unterstützung
und Anregungen.
Ich wünsche Ihnen eine guten Start in den Frühling und verbleibe mit freundlichen
Grüßen.
Introduction of the new Project Coordinator
Vicky Maurus
Dear readers of the Postillion,
Allow me to introduce myself. I was born and raised in a nice little Allgaeu village between Memmingen and
Kempten. There, I spent my early years before I venture out into the world.
For 20 month my husband and I have been enjoying the way of life here in this unique province of Saskatchewan.
I am glad to get the opportunity to use my many years of work experience as a group leader in the social field for
the good of the Saskatchewan German Council.
I am looking forward to a productive cooperation and I will appreciate your suggestions and encouragement.
With best regards and I am hoping spring is on its way.
2012 SGC Treffpunkt Weekend
June 9 & 10 in Lloydminster
Saturday, June 9
SGC Volunteer Awards
Banquet
Summer 2012
DEADLINE:
June 18, 2012
articles
Sunday, June 10
SGC Annual General Meeting
10 a.m.
Boy Scout & Girl Guide Hall
(3707 49 Ave, Lloydminster, SK S9V 0R7)
pictures
Details will be available on the SGC website soon.
etc.
recipes
[email protected]
POSTILLION
7
Rolling Calendar of Events
March
8
12:
Community Mural display ceremony
in Humboldt
Wed.: Skat at the German Cultural Centre in
Saskatoon at 7 p.m.
May
6:
Spring Concert by the Volksliederchor
Concordia at the German Cultural
Centre in Saskatoon, starting 2 p.m.
Spring Concert by the Volksliederchor
Harmonie at the Germa Club in
Regina, starting 2:30 p.m.
Mother’s Day Brunch at the German
Cultural Centre
Student Stammtisch at Amigos,
starting at 7 p.m.
Fri.:
Classical Connection on CFCR 90.5
FM from 1-2 p.m. with Sigrid Kirmse
13:
Sun.: Treffpunkt Deutschland on CFCR
90.5 FM from 1 to 3 p.m.
24-27: North American SKAT Competition in
Saskatoon, German Cultural Centre
Mon.: The Classical Connection on CFCR
90.5 fm from 3 to 4 p.m. with
Sigrid Kirmse
Sunday Brunch at the German Culrual
Centre in Saskatoon from 11 a.m. to
2 p.m. and German Buffet from 5:30
to 9 p.m.
April
Saskatoon at 7 p.m.
14:
Kaffeestunde in Humboldt 2 - 4 p.m.
starting at 7 p.m.
21:
Spargelfest, German Canadian Society
Harmonie, Regina, starts at 6 p.m.
Fri.:
Classical Panorama on CFCR 90.5 fm
from 1 to 2 p.m. with Sigrid Kirmse
28:
Western Canadian Schuhplattler
Workshop & Dance at the Germa
Cultural Centre, Saskatoon
Chef’s Special at the German Cultural
Centre from 5:30 to 9 p.m.
Saskatoon at 7 p.m.
starting at 7 p.m.
Fri.:
Classical Panorama on CFCR 90.5
FM from 1-2 p.m. with Sigrid Kirmse
90.5 FM from 1 to 3 p.m.
to 9 p.m.
90.5 fm from 1 to 3 p.m.
to 9 p.m.
Please refer to the SGC Events Calendar at
www.saskgermancouncil.org for more events.
History of the Germans from Russia, part 8
Alvin Knoll
In the last several issues I have been
concentrating on the German settlements in the Black Sea area of Southern Russia. In this issue I would
like to revisit the Volga Germans.
It seems there were many more
problems facing the settlers in
Volga area, the most serious being
a ten-year drought. It was not until 1775, at the end of the drought,
that the famers could start to make
progress. Although the weather was
against the farmers, so too would it
seem, was the Russian Government.
The government had forbidden the
settlers to do anything but Ackerbau
or practice agriculture; any type of
handicrafts or manufacturing was
forbidden. This forced the famers
to be totally reliant on the Russian
government. The farmers had also
learnt over the decade that the old
farming practices in Germany did
not work well here in the new land.
They realized that they must take
advantage of the spring rains and
avoid the hot and drying winds of
late summer. Fall sown wheat was
prone to winter kill while the April
sown wheat did well with the spring
rains.
It had taken a decade of learning the
ways of their new country, but again
they adapted and the wheat that these
Volga farmers produced was high
in protein and gluten and became
a prized grain well into the 20th
century. Still another problem with
government interference was that
some government officials thought
the famers should be planting Mulberry trees so that a silkworm industry could be established. As strange
as it sounds, the government was
certain this would work and imposed this practice on many villages. It was tried but never became
a success and slowly it was phased
out. Now that the drought was over
the famers began to expand and
open up new land, but they still had
to deal with the Ackerbau agreement signed in 1767.
The farmers saw a need for mills to
mill their grains, looms to weave,
sawmills, tanneries and blacksmiths. What to do; they argued
their case with the government representatives and as some of the officials seemed disinterested, the farmers slowly went against the edict and
created what they needed. The German settlers had also introduced
the potato to this part of Russia. It
is said that William IV of Hesse had
introduced the potato in 1568 to his
German state and now two hundred
years later it made its way to Russia.
It would take the native Russians
one hundred years to adapt the potato to their cuisine as they thought
it sinful to eat them.
The farmers were also growing winter rye, millet, tobacco, melons and
especially their favourite, sunflowers. These sunflowers were grown
for their oil and were used extensively for cooking. They were also
eaten and it was said that no self
respecting German Russian, whether child or adult, would be caught
without sunflower seeds somewhere on their person. The custom
of knuppern was developed. This
was cracking the seeds between the
teeth and eating the sunflower meat.
The sunflower became known as
the Russian German peanut! Now
not only had the settlers adapted to
new farming practices, but also they
were adapting to the tough seasonal
weathers conditions. It is noted that
the generations born here were quite
content with their lot in life having
known no other. The next generation thought it quite normal to experience minus 40 in the winter and
plus 40 temperatures in the summer.
This generation did not know of the
temperate climes along the Rhine
and adapted quite readily. The harsh
winter weather forced the new settlers to quickly adapt new clothing.
For the foot came der Filzstiefel,
a knee high felt boot made out of
short wool shearings. All members
of the family wore these in the winter months and they were extremely
effective against the cold. They also
created the ankle length sheepskin
coats with the wool on the inner
side and the leather to the cold side.
These were worn by men, women
and children and again proved remarkable against the winter conditions. So now I will sign off and in
the next issue I will remain with the
Volga Germans and tell of some of
the very successful businesses such
as Hauses Gebrüder Schmidt.
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: [email protected]
Office hours:
Tuesdays & Thursdays
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
9
Auf den Spuren der schwäbisch-alemannisch Fastnacht
Stephanie Schäfer-Seidel
Was ist Fastnacht/Fasnet/Fasching 2. Die Fastnacht als eine vorweeigentlich?
ggenommene Entschädigung der
bevorstehenden Fastenzeit von
Wer im Süden Deutschlands aufge- Aschermittwoch bis Ostern.
wachsen ist, hat wahrscheinlich als Diese Auslegung stammt vor allem
Kind in der Schule und in der Ge- aus kirchlicher Sicht und kommt
meinde an Kinderbällen und Kinde- auch in der Übersetzung aus dem
rumzügen teilgenommen und wird Italienischen “carne levale” (Lebe
sich sicherlich gerne an das bunte wohl, Fleisch / vgl. Karneval) zum
Treiben auf den Gassen (1) und Vorschein. Dies bedeutet, dass im
Strassen erinnern.
Winter der Gürtel etwas enger geIn grossen Teilen Süddeutschlands, schnallt werden musste und kaum
Österreichs und der Schweiz gibt Fleisch gegessen werden sollte,
es eine fünfte Jahreszeit, die den um noch genügend Vorräte bis zur
Menschen das Ausharren des Win- nächsten Ernte zu halten. Um diese
ters sehr versüßt und verkürzt. harsche Zeit etwas zu versüßen,
Diese Zeit wird hier Fasnet oder durften die Untertanen für eine kurze
Fastnacht oder Fasching genannt. Zeit, die nach Dreikönig (6.Januar)
Die Geschichtsschreiber sind sich beginnt, noch einmal feiern und tannicht ganz einig, wenn es um den zen bevor der Aschermittwoch den
Ursprung der Fastnacht geht. Aber harten Alltag wieder einläutete.
meistens stehen drei Auslegungen
im Vordergrund:
3. Die Faselei Zeit
In manchen Schriften wird Fast1. Die Vertreibung des Win- nacht oder eher das mundartliche
ters und seiner Geister, Dä- Fasnet als eine Zeit der ”Faselei”,
monen und Unholden, um dem also des Unsinn redens bezeichnet.
fruchtbaren und lebenspenden- Dies bedeutete, dass die Menschen
den Frühling Platz zu machen. sich verkleideten, um ihre MitbürgHierfür gibt es Aufzeichnung aus er und die Obrigkeit zum Narren zu
den alten Chroniken, in denen der halten, allerlei Streiche zu spielen
altgermanische Brauch für ein Früh- und dabei versuchten nicht erkannt
lingsfest zu Ehren der Licht- und zu werden.
Frühlingsgöttin “Ostara” mit einem Welche Ursprünge nun vorwiegend
grossen Feuer auf einem Berg ge- für die Entstehung der Fastnacht
feiert wurde. Hierbei haben sich die verantwortlich sind, soll hier nicht
Germanen als wilde Männer oder wichtig sein, es wird wohl eher eine
auch Waldgeister verkleidet und mit Zusammenfassung aus allen dreiviel Lärm mit Trommeln, Pritschen en und wohl noch mehr Gründen
(2) und Peitschen die Geister und dahinterstecken, dass noch heute
Dämonen des Winters in die Wälder in vielen Städten und Dörfern im
zurückgejagt. Es wurden auch Schwäbisch Alemannischen Raum
glühende Holzscheiben aus dem die Fastnacht und der Fasching am
Feuer geschossen, um den Winter Blühen ist. Auf jeden Fall ist Fastzu vertreiben und den Frühling zu nacht/Fasching ganz sicherlich
willkommen. Dieses Funkenschies- nicht einfach nur eine “Verspotsen gibt es noch heute vielerorts.
tung des Militärs”, wie es scheinbar
10
einige verstehen. Die heutige Fastnacht ist ein sehr buntes Treiben
und spielt nicht nur in den Stadthallen sondern auch auf den Strassen
und Plätzen der Städte und Dörfer
statt.
Schon vor 200 Jahren kamen die
Narren aus ihren Häusern, um dem
Alltag zu entfliehen und sich im
Schutz der Verkleidung einmal ganz
anders zu geben und den Herrschern
eins auszuwischen. Allerdings gab
es von der Obrigkeit immer wieder
Versuche, die Fastnacht zu verbieten und diejenigen zu bestrafen,
die sich dagegensetzen sollten.
Meistens war dies aber eher ein Ansporn den Mächtigen zu trotzen und
es fanden doch wieder einige Narren eine Gelegenheit zum Strählen
(6) und Schalken.
Es gibt zum Beispiel eine sehr
nette und typische Anekdote vom
“Babtischtle von Hüfingen”:
Der damalige Fürst zu Fürstenberg
legte ein Verbot aus, dass alle “Fasnetspiele, Maskengehen und Unartigkeiten wegen Landestrauer zu
unterlassen seien”. Allerdings rechneten die Stadträte nicht mit dem
Schneider Babtist Moog, der als
Erznarr bekannt war. Babtist Moog,
der auch “Babtischtle” genanntwurde, erklärte der Obrigkeit, dass
ja die Alten ruhig trauern mögen
aber dass doch wenigstens die Kinder ihren Spaß haben sollten. Er fragte, ob er nicht wenigstens mit seiner
“Narrengewand aus dem Fenster
schauen dürfe”. Dies wurde ihm erlaubt und so zog er sich zu Hause
sein “Narrenhäs” (3) an, hing sein
Fenster aus und legte es sich um den
Hals. Laut singend ging er so durch
die Gassen und hatte bald eine ganze Schar Kinder hinter sich, als der
Bürgermeister ihn wieder vorlud
und ihn schimpfte, dass “jede Narretei auf den Strassen und Gassen
doch verboten sei”. Da schmunzelte
das Babtischtle und ging einfach
mit den Kindern vor das Stadttor
und auf die Felder, um dort weiter
zu feiern.
An dieser Geschichte wird klar,
dass Narrheit ganz sicher keine
“Dummheit sondern Weisheit in
aller feinster Form” darstellt.
Noch heute werden Narrengerichte
gehalten, wobei dem “Schultes” (4)
der Rathausschlüssel abgenommen
wird und für eine Woche der Narrenrat regiert. Diese Woche beginnt
oft am ersten Tag der Fastnacht,
dem “Schmotzigen Dunschtig” (5)
und endet am Dienstagabend vor
Aschermittwoch. Dieser Dienstag
wird in anderen Teilen der Welt als
“Mardi Gras” gefeiert.
Mit vielen bunten Umzügen,
Saalveranstaltungen,
Kinderbällen und dem Strählen (6) wird
für eine Woche die Fastnacht gefeiert. Gerade die Umzüge auf
den Strassen sind sehenswert,
hier spielen viele Musikkapellen,
tanzen verkleidete Narrenpaare und
ärgern Hexen, Teufel, Waldgeister, Tiergestalten und belustigen
die Weissnarren mit ihren schlauen
Narrensprüchen die Zuschauer.
Wer jemals die Gelegenheit haben sollte, zur Fastnachtszeit ins
Schwäbisch-Alemannische zu kommen, sollte dieses Spektakel nicht
verpassen. Es ist ein wahres Erlebnis.
Narri - Narro
Glossar:
1. Gassen: kleine Straßen
2. Pritschen: hölzerner Schläger mit
einzelnen Rippen, die beim Aufschlagen ein knallendes Geräusch
machen
3. Narrenhäs: Narrenkostüm
4. Schultes/Schultheiss: altes Wort
für Bürgermeister
5. Schmutziger/schmotziger oder
gumpiger Dunschtig/Donnerstag:
Dieser Donnerstag gilt als offizieller Start der Fastnachtswoche,
die mit dem darauffolgenden
Aschermittwoch endet. Traditionell werden an diesem Donnerstag
“Fasnetküchle”
oder
“Faschingskrapfen”, die mit hiesigen “Bismarck Doughnuts” zu vergleichen sind, in Schmalz oder Fett
ausgebacken.
6. Strählen: Im Narrenkostüm verkleidet und mit Maske durch die Wirtshäuser ziehen und den wichtigen
Leuten, wie Politikern und Kirchenleuten die Leviten zu lesen und die
Meinung auf närrisch-freundliche
Weise zu sagen.
Quellen: “Hoorig, hoorig isch die
Katz” von Heinz Wintermantel;
“Hüfinger Fasnet” von Peter Albert,
sowie eigene Erfahrungen aus der
Seidel’schen Narrentruhe.
Bilder: Roland Sigwart, Hüfingen (Hüfinger Narren, Babtischtle,
Villinger Strassenfasnet) Stephanie Schäfer – Seidel (aus meinem
Photoalbum, Bräunlinger Hexen,
Donaueschinger
Strassenfasnet,
Hexen beim Aufstellen eines Narrenbaumes)
Dieser Bericht ist nur ein kurzer Einblick in eine uralte deutsche Tradition und es wird keinerlei Anspruch
auf Vollständigkeit genommen.
What is Fastnacht, Fasnet or Fasching?
Stephanie Schäfer-Seidel
Whoever grew up in the southern
part of Germany probably participated in carnival celebrations and
parades as an elementary school
student, running through streets and
singing carnival songs and rhymes.
There is a fifth season in large parts
of southern Germany, Switzerland and Austria which sweetens
the harsh time of winter for a little
while. This time is called: Fastnacht
or Fasnet or Fasching, depending
on the location. But what exactly
is this funny time and where did it
originate? There are many historical
backgrounds but three are the most
commonly known.
1. The ousting of old man winter and all his demons to welcome the fertile spring season.
There were old Germanic customs
for a spring celebration with a big
bonfire on a hill that was held to honour the Germanic goddess of light
and springtime Ostara. Men would
dress up as “wild men” or “forest ghosts” to chase away the bad
demons and ghosts of winter back
into the forest, so that the rebirth
of nature could arrive. They made
11
a lot of noise and emitted sparks
of burning ember into the air. This
ember shooting is still practiced in
some locations up to these days.
2. Fastnacht as a brief relief before
the strict winter fasting time of lent.
These theses refer to the religious
time after Ash Wednesday when
the church ordered not to eat any
meat for the time of lent. This is
also the origin of the word carnival which comes from the Italian
meaning “carne levale” (Goodbye,
meat). The more worldly reason
for lent was that people had to eat
less so that the supply would last
until the next harvest. Of course,
this did not always apply to the
noble class. To make the hard life
a little easier to bear, the common
folks were allowed to enjoy one
week of fun and folly before lent.
3. The Foolish Time
In some sources you can read about
a time when common folks were allowed to speak their mind and usually not be punished for it. This is
similar to the fool at a king’s court
who was the “only one” who could
tell the king if he made a mistake,
but no councillor was able to criticize the ruler. Ordinary people
would dress up and put masks on
their faces to avoid being recognized and later punished.
Whatever the original reason for
this foolish time may be and there
are probably more than mentioned
here, the important part is that this
old German tradition is still very
much alive today. It is celebrated
throughout the southern part of the
German speaking area of Europe
and has very little to do with “mocking the military” like some people
may believe.
About 200 years ago the fools came
out of their houses dressed in their
costumes and masks to escape the
hard everyday life and to mock
12
the governing authority by telling jokes and rhyming verses that
would insult some rulers. Of course,
the kings and earls tried their best
to undermine this foolish behaviour
with strict prohibition of Fastnacht
and the like. Although this usually
had the effect of the true fools coming out with some smart idea to bypass the law and avoid punishment.
There is a nice little story of such
a situation where the fool outsmarts
the ruler:
“The Babtischtle of Hüfingen”
There was a Lord of Fürstenberg
who ordered the prohibition of Fastnacht because of a royal death and all
folks were supposed to grieve. But
the tailor Babtist Moog of Hüfingen
wanted still to celebrate his beloved
foolish time of Fasnet and went to
the mayor of the town to plead that
the old people should grieve but the
children be allowed to have a little
fun. “He would put on his fool’s
outfit and look out of his window to
greet the children”. The mayor had
compassion and Babtischtle was
permitted to do so. With fool’s cleverness the tailor Moog dressed in
his costume, unhooked the window
and hung it around his neck to walk
through town making a lot of noise.
Soon he had a horde of laughing
children following him. The mayor
got angry and told the tailor to stop
at once, since he was not allowed
“to walk through town dressed as
a fool”. Babtischtle smiled and
led the children outside the town
wall into the surrounding fields
and continued with his mockery.
This story shows that fools are not
stupid but rather very wise people
who will persevere against any
authority.
Nowadays Fastnacht is a very colourful celebration that does not
only take place in the community
halls but also with big parades in the
streets of villages, towns and large
cities. There are even fool’s courts
that are being held on the first day
of the foolish week, when the fools
council will take over town hall and
receive the “big key” for the town.
From the Schmotzige Dunnschtig
(which translates loosely into “fatty Thursday”, when traditionally
specialty baking is deep fried like
Bismarck Doughnuts. This day always falls on the last Thursday
before Ash Wednesday each year).
Until the evening of the following
Tuesday the villages, towns and
cities are ruled by the fools. This
Tuesday is celebrated as “Mardi
Gras” in other parts of the world.
These parades in the streets are especially very exciting events. With
music bands playing and people
dressing as fools, witches, devils,
all sorts of animals chasing through
towns. Others are wearing beautiful traditional costumes, which
makes everyone smile. If you ever
have a chance to go to this part of
Europe during the foolish time,
make sure to take in as much as you
can. It will be all worth the while.
Narri - Narro
Sources:
1. “Hoorig, hoorig isch die
Katz” by Heinz Wintermantel
2. “Hüfinger Fasnet” by Peter Albert
3. My own upbringing as part of
a fool’s family in the Black Forest
Photos by: Roland Sigwart, Hüfingen, Germany and Stephanie
Schäfer – Seidel, Regina, Canada
This report is only a short comprehension and does not claim to completely cover the history of Fastnacht/Fasnet/Fasching.
Nikolaus & Christmas Celebrations in Regina
Harald Berwald
December was a very busy month
with activities at the German Language School of Regina which my
family attended. We are fortunate
that the school is encouraging of
family participation. Along with
the goal of promoting the German
language, the school also strives to
incorporate cultural activities and
traditions. On December 3, 2012
we celebrated St. Nikolaus Tag by
learning about the traditions of the
occasion through instruction in the
various levels of classes and culminating with the classes getting
together to sing German Christmas
carols and enjoy a performance
from the Preschool class. Everyone
received the treat bags filled with
mandarins, nuts and candies that
St. Nikolaus delivered early given
that St. Nikolaus Tag actually takes
place on December 06. One adult
student however, received a bag of
coal due to his tardiness on a regular
basis. We are optimistic that he will
receive a good treat bag next time!
The teachers and students put
in a great effort to prepare for
the school’s Weihnachtsfeier on
December 17, 2012, celebrating the
60th school year of our school’s existence. The celebration took place
at the Austrian Canadian Edelweiss
Club for the first time in the school’s
history. We are very grateful for
the generous hospitality of the club
manager, Joanne and club President
John Jost.
The Advanced Students class, under the instruction of Philipp Rode
and Brendan Campbell, provided
the master of ceremonies services
for the occasion as well as reciting two unique and comical poems.
The class of Esther Flaman also
recited a poem which depicted a
Christmas letter. The Preschool
class of Judith Kocks sang Kling
Gloeckchen, klingelingeling and
rang beautiful Christmas bells. The
class of Andrea Nillson performed a
skit which became interactive when
“snowballs” were thrown into the
audience! Olga Lairich’s class did
a presentation of their interpretation
of a Christmas story that they read
in class. The program concluded
with the adult classes joining all of
the student classes on stage to sing a
lively German Christmas song. The
audience was then asked to sing
along with the group, two songs
which have become a tradition to be
sung at the closing of our program:
O Tannenbaum and Stille Nacht.
The highlight of the Weihnachtsfeier was, of course, the visit from
the Weihnachstmann who also
wanted to sing with participants
and brought goodie bags for the
students. The Weihnachtsmann has
always been the most important
aspect of our Weihnachtsfeier celebrations and given that he has been
visiting our school every year since
memory can recall and due to our
special occasion of being the 60th
school year, the school provided the
Weihnachtsmann with a token of appreciation. He received a replica of
himself, except with gold robes to
symbolize the importance and recognition of his dedication to the German Language School of Regina.
We offer our deepest thanks to the
Weihnachtsmann’s
“chauffeur”
Winfried Schlosser; to our piano accompanist Nathan Markwart; event
sponsor South Albert Massage
Therapy Clinic; the many volunteers who assisted with set-up and
clean-up and especially the family
contributions of German Christmas
baking. It was a wonderful event
and we are so grateful to everyone
in contributing to its success!
Children singing Christmas songs.
The hall is full with families and
visitors.
St. Nikolaus talking to the children.
13
SGC Recipe Corner
Last year the Recipe Corner was
dedicated to baking. The year started with a nice Hazelnut Cake, which
some of our readers recreated at
home. During the summer months
we presented the Snow White
Cake, with cherries and chocolate.
According to the season the fallhad to have something with apples,
an Apple Strudel recipe was tested
and printed for you. The year was
rounded with a nice Christmas
recipe, Cinnamon Stars, a classic
among the German cookies.
This year the Recipe Corner will
focus on other culinary items, such
as salads and soups. The Recipe
Corner team will be supported by the
new Kochlöffel & Nudelholz: German Canadian Koch- & Backstudio
in finding new, delicious recipes for
you.
If you would like to submit your
own recipe, please contact the SGC
office via phone, mail, fax or email.
Schweizer Wurstsalat - Swiss Sausage Salad
Vicky Maurus
Zutaten:
Zutaten:
- 400g Fleischwurst in Streifen geschnitten
- 200g Käse (Emmentaler),
in Streifen geschnitten
- 1 Zwiebel(n), fein gehackt
- 4 Gewürzgurke(n) in Scheiben
geschnitten
- 2 EL Essig
- 1 EL Brühe von den Gurken
- 5 EL Öl
- Salz
- Pfeffer
- 400g pork sausage cut in strips
- 200g cheese (Emmental),
cut in strips
- 1 smaller onion, finely chopped
- 4 pickles, cut in slices
- 2 tbsp. vinegar
- 1 tbsp. pickle liquid
- 5 tbsp. vegetable oil
- salt
- pepper
Zubereitung:
Mix vinegar, pickle liquid, oil, salt,
and pepper together. Mix the pork
Aus Essig, Gurkensud, Öl, Salz, und sausage, cheese, and onion together.
Pfeffer eine Marinade bereiten und Combine both well and let it sit for
über die gemischten Zutaten geben. while so that the flavours can infuse.
Untermischen und gut durchziehen
lassen.
Zubereitung:
Advertise in the Postillion
full page (18.8 x 24.8 cm)
$130
1/2 page horiz. (18.8 x 12.4 cm)
$ 90
1 column (6- 24.8 cm)
$ 70
1/2 column (6 x 12.4 cm)
$ 40
1/4 column (6 x 6.2 cm)
$ 20
SGC member receive a 15%
discount.
[email protected]
(306) 975-0845
14
News from SGC Member Groups
Community Radio Station Saskatoon
Community Radio Saskatoon Report
Sigrid Kirmse, Host
Volunteers of the Saskatoon Community Radio are busy with preparations for their programs and some
special events. On March 1 the station was involved with “My City
Speaks”, an event featuring five
speakers from the arts community,
writers, poets, artists etc. They were
speaking on the importance of the
arts in our city. The event took place
in the Bassment.
March 8 was International Women’s
Day. The radio station was involved
with performances of three musical
acts and one poet. They all were females. Again, this took place in the
Bassment. The funds raised would
go to the Elizabeth Fry Foundation.
From April 3 to 13 is the annual
membership Drive. As General
Manager Neil Bergen pointed out:
“we are looking to best our current membership of 527”. For only
$25.00 members will receive a membership card which entitles them to
a discount at several stores in the
city. Of course, all program hosts
have to buy their membership as
well.
One of the programs is Treffpunkt
Deutschland, a two-hour program
which is aired every Sunday from
1-3 p.m. Our listeners are thankful for the music and information
we provide. Those are from the
Deutsche Welle and our own collection. For some years now I receive
Ein Gruss aus Wien from Erich Zib
in Austria, a half-hour program
in the Viennese dialect which I
broadcast every last Sunday at 2:00
p.m. Unfortunately, Ansichten von
Deutschland from Alfred Zerban in
Germany is not available any more.
We are grateful for phone calls and
we do take requests and will be
happy to relate greetings.
Thanks to our listeners and the Saskatchewan German Council’s donations we have now a website and all
programs can be heard over the
internet. Just go to www.cfcr.ca,
click on programs and the program guide and you will find us. In
speaking of us, Andrea MacLeod
hosts now every second Sunday of
the month a program for younger
listeners. She took over the program from Sabine. Helge Struthers
still helps out when we need her.
I would like to thank those two for
jumping in during my recovery
from knee surgery.
For our listeners to the Classical Panorama/Classical Connection programs, the Monday program has now
been taken over by a new host. I still
broadcast the Friday classical program. All three classical programs
are now broadcast from 1-2 p.m.
We hope, the Saskatchewan
German Council and our listeners will continue their support to the German program,
which we appreciate very much.
Concordia Alpenrose Schuhplattler Verein
News from the Schuhplattler
Amanda Marien
The dancers are gearing up for a trip
to Regina on February 26, where we
will have the opportunity to workshop with the Regina Austrian Edelweiss Dancers. We look forward to
returning with a new ladies dance, a
men’s ‘Bench’ dance and a couple’s
dance that we will be able to add to
our repertoire.
We have begun the preparations for
the 6th Western Canadian Schuhplattler’s Workshop and Dance that
will take place from April 27 - 29.
The weekend will begin on Friday
night with a meet and greet, for all
visiting Vereine, in the lounge at
the German Cultural Centre. Saturday will consist of workshops,
for the dancers, throughout the
day, followed by a banquet and
the Heidelberg Band, who will begin playing at 9 p.m. There will
also be a photo presentation of the
dancers, past and present, as this
event marks our 30th anniversary.
We hope to have our guest dance
groups join us for brunch at the club
before saying goodbye on Sunday.
Tickets for the Saturday evening
banquet and dance will be available
15
at the German Cultural Centre prior to
Radio Station Saskatoon
the event, call 244-6869 for moreCommunity
information or check out our website at
w w w. s a s k a t o o n g e rmanculturalcentre.ca.
The dance group is always accepting new members, no experience
necessary and no membership
fees! For more information about
any of the above events or about
becoming a dancer please contact Amanda Marien @249-0108.
Das Schulhaus - Regina German Language School Inc.
Introducing Das Schulhaus
Board of Directors
In October 2011, six women from
the Regina German community
got together of open a new, fresh,
non-profit language school to benefit a community, where 30% of the
population are of German heritage
and form the largest ethnic group in
Saskatchewan.
However, our motives are diverse:
Four of us have children; we want
them to keep in touch with the German language and culture where it
is fun to learn and teach.
Three of us have come to Regina recently and we would like to see the
language and culture portrayed in a
contemporary way.
Two of us are teaching professionals; we take pride in providing didactic quality.
And all of us would like to be actively involved in the community
in a cheerful, democratic and collaborative way that provides a
positive and diverse image of the
German culture. Since then a lot
of activities have taken place and
there are many to follow: Martinsumzug, Nikolausfeier, booth at the
Christkindlmarkt,
Internationale
Deutscholympiade and teacher’s
16
workshops some of us attended.
For our first school year, we are
proud to present a considerable
number of courses (late enrolment
still possible) and we believe there
are many more to come.
So here is to a successful start of:
Das Schulhaus – Regina German
Language School INC.
VISION STATEMENT
To create a respectful, transparent
and collaborative school culture
with quality education based on a
fresh and lively approach
WHAT
Non-Profit Organization, Inc.
CURRENT COURSES
Adult Beginner Class, Teen Beginner Class, Teen Advanced Class,
Deutsches Sprachdiplom A2 / DSDA2 Preparation Class, Spiel- und
Lernkreis (ages 3 – 8)
WHEN
Founded in November 2011
WHO
Founding Directors: Linda Froh,
Sabine
Zagoricnik-Wecker,
Brooke Larson, Stefanie Schaefer,
Katharina Kettner, Darla McKellar
MISSION SATEMENT
We wanted to found an active
non-profit
German
Language
School for the Regina Community and area to teach and promote
the German language and culture in a contemporary, efficient
and non-political environment
MEMBERSHIPS
SGC, SOHL, MLAR, SATG
(Teachers)
CONTACT
Email:[email protected]
Website: www.dasSchulhaus.org
Phone: 306-550-8959
German-Canadian Society Harmonie Inc.
An Update from the Club
Kerri Van Loosen
This year’s Annual Club Christmas
party, which took place on Decemeber 10, marked the end of another
wonderful year. We had a full house
and all enjoyed a delicious meal of
Rouladen with all the fixings. No
one could refuse seconds of Stollen for dessert! The festive evening
included Christmas readings, poetry, and songs. Thank you to the
Knolls who organized this event for
us. January brought some remodeling and renovations to the Club’s
kitchen, storage and utility rooms.
The majority of the work has been
carried out by various volunteers
under the guidance of our very own
board member and contractor Bryce
Van Loosen (New Castle Const.)
Although not all of the finishing touches have been completed,
we welcome you to check out our
progress if you are in the neighbourhood. The Annual Valentine’s
dance was held on Saturday February 11. All who attended enjoyed
a hot roast beef lunch and danced
the night away to the music of the
Diamond Trio. Coming up next is
the Annual Shareholders Meeting
on Saturday March 17 at 1 p.m. in
the German Club lower level. All
shareholders are encouraged to attend and show their support for
the Club. Then mark your calendar for Saturday, April 21! This is
our annual spring celebration of
asparagus known as Spargelfest.
For the past few years, this amazing 5-course meal featuring asparagus, has sold out so please watch
for details on when and where
you can purchase your tickets!
Please
check
out
the
Club’s
updated
website:
www.reginagermanclub.ca or become a fan on our Facebook page:
Regina German Club.
Wir warten nun mit Spannung auf
den Frühling!
German Cultural Centre
From the German Cultural Centre
Sigrid Kirmse
“Cultural”? You may say, “Where is
it?” We hear this quite often. Well,
we are glad and happy to have the
new building as it is. Many upgrades have been done since the official opening last year, and many
more will come and are planned.
But this takes time and money.
Right now the directors are planning to commission an artist to make
new crests of the Germen provinces
(Länder). For that project alone we
need a lot of money. This is just one
small item on the scale of improvements to this beautiful building.
Jon and the staff are busy at the Centre. Besides the bookings for weddings, meetings and conventions the
“Club” is also planning events for its
members. There was the Valentine’s
Dinner and a Wild Game Supper
with entertainment. On Mother’s
Day we will remember our mothers with a Mother’s Day Brunch.
The sub-groups will have their own
big celebrations. Jon, our manager,
also plans weekly specials and on
Sundays brunch and supper buffets.
Of course, our chefs offer great
food in our lounge and dining room.
Planning for Folkfest has already
started. The display will have
more Länder of Germany and
handy-work. In co-operation with
our Senior Dancers the Western Canadian Schuhplattlers Workshop,
supper and dance will be held on
April 28. For all those events reservations are recommended. Call
664-6678. Visitors will find in the
entrance to the building an information board. For new memberships just ask the ladies at the bar.
To all a wonderful Spring time.
17
German Heritage Society of Humboldt & District Inc.
Was ist los in Humboldt?
Ruth Wilson
We enjoyed a mild winter this
year, but the thawing and freezing created icy streets everywhere.
The Broncos could do their hockey practice outdoors. We seniors
hold onto each other for dear life
when we go to church or shopping.
For some of us old and new Homboldtonians time is going by fast. We
are working on a Community Connection Project. The Ministry of Advance Education, Employment and
Immigration provided a grand for a
Community Glass Wall Mural Artwork. The Reid-Thompson Library
in partnership with PIER-Humboldt
and Region Newcomer Gateway
and the Carlton Trail Regional College host and manage the Mural
Project. The eight foot diameter misaic artwork was designed by Elaina Adams, owner of Prairie Glass
Studio, also a Humboldt Folkart
Co-op member. The mural is titled
“We are all rooted to planted earth”
and will be a large glass mosaic picture featuring community.
Long term residents and newcomers meet Monday evenings at the
library and work together on this
exciting community connection
project. Every gathering begins with
multicultural entertainment. Luz
Maria Dominguez provided Spanish music, Nadia Babchouk, vocalist and guitar player, represented the
Ukraine. The Hizzy Tabago Belly
Dancers superbly represented the
ancient Middle East. An Aboriginal
youth dance group performed descriptive native dances and then participated in the mural creation and
wrote Cree words meaning community on glass leaves. Many different
languages will be written on the art
work, as a sign to welcome new immigrants. Still to come is an evening
of poetry with Allan Safavik, storytelling by Danica Lorer, the Waldsee Singkreis represents Germany.
The Filipino singers and dancers are
the last performers before the gala
night on March 12, 2012.
Following the entertainment the
community is invited to work on
sections of the giant cultural mosaic art work. On completion the
mural will be fastened to the library north wall in the Paririe Pioneer Woman’s Heritage Garden.
German Junior Folk Dancers
Folkdance in Austria today
Barbara Stehwien
Folkdance in Austria today –
discovering the roots of the internationally known Schuhplattler dances and related traditions.
Our study trip to Europe this past
summer was truly a monumental
experience – this is Part II of the
story, where Part I was published
in the Fall 2011 issue, and our map
and overview of the entire trip in the
Winter/Christmas 2011 issue of the
Postillion.
18
For the second part of our folkdance adventures, we had planned
a visit with our ‘internet’ acquainted friends in central Austria, in
the provincial land of Steiermark
(Styria).
We hired a bus with a driver who
would journey us safely through
the foothills of the eastern Alps
and be available for day trips to
explore romantic Austria during
our stay.
Our group of 20 settled into a family hostel in a small village called
Oberwölz, that seemed a bit removed from the fast pace of the
modern world. Although here too,
the modern amenities and an internet connection were available to us.
Thankfully, we also found an ATM
and a small ‘everything’ store, so
that we could spend some money
on souvenirs and more taste adventures.
A conference room upstairs would
serve as our dance hall and we
soon met our long-time internet
folkdance friend Robert Mayer
in person. Robert is leader of the
Steiermark Trachtenjugend, an organization, with a membership of
upwards of 450 children and youth
who love to folkdance. They are also
impassionate musicians – in fact
it seemed that music was an even
more important part of the culture.
This was evident when we first drove
past the ‘world’s biggest clarinet’ at
the welcome sign for the village and
also in the small ‘Heimatmuseum’
that featured old instruments.
During our workshop, we were
treated to live music played on the
accordion and we quickly realized
the benefits – the musician has control over the speed, and can quickly
replay any section of a song, if needed. We really wanted to take Robert
home with us!
Since Austria and Germany’s Bavaria are the birthplace of what
seems like the world wide image
of the typical ‘German Dancer’ we
had wonderful opportunities to ask
questions and learn from the source.
We were honoured to be given demonstrations of, among other things,
some Schuhplattler dances and phenomenal accordion playing. We also
learned how the tradition of music,
dance and dress is passed on to the
youth, the basics of which, seems to
be the family activities.
The dance and traditional costume
groups (Trachtengruppen) are
government supported and highly
organized in each province, with
member groups in nearly every village. The music and the dance is integral to festivals and long standing
traditions, including annual Maypole celebrations. We saw many
more Maypoles in the villages of Austria than around southern Germany
and were told wonderful stories of
courtship games that are a fun part
of the traditions. One is the unusual story of how girls jump into the
small mountain rivers wearing their
complete dirndl outfit.
Children, who start young with their
folkdancing, can be regularly tested
for achievement of certain basic
steps and reach up to silver level. A
gold level can also be attained, but is
not as common and requires knowledge of much more complex dances.
We were also given insights into the
Trachten, the traditional costumes
and learned some of the more obvious differences between the ones
worn in Austria and those from Bavaria, Germany:
In Austria, the men wear full socks
of solid color, depending on the
area, while Bavarians often have the
2 part socks, or Loferl, that are usually striped. The color of the embroidery on the Lederhosen is distinct
between the two regions. Austrians
only use a dark green, while Bavarians can be seen with bright, light
green or yellow stitching.
The women’s Dirndl dresses should
have 3 types of unique materials,
where the apron is usually striped
and a lighter color, the skirt is point
patterned and the bodice is a plain
material. Also noteworthy is the
absence of flowers and the closed,
higher cut of the bodice, when compared to the Bavarian Dirndl.
Our group dressed in our northern
German costumes to end our workshops with Robert and his family,
and teachers Doris and Joseph (also
introduced to us as Happy Seppi,
a name he definitely lives up to!),
making for a wonderful dance and
culture evening.
During our leisure time, we hiked
up the mountain to the Burg Finstergrün castle, renovated as
part hostel, where we had hoped
to find accommodation when booking our trip. After the tour, some of
us were glad that this didn’t work
out, since as remote as the tiny village, or Dorf of Oberwölz seemed, a
lone castle high up on a hill seemed
even more isolated.
Hiking in the area was absolutely
entertaining as well, especially
once we discovered the legends
and fables trail. There were about
12 or so stops along the way, that
had the stories written out, as well
as wooden carvings and sculptures
to help with illustration. There were
stories from beautiful, magic forest
women, to bad ogres, mysterious
caves and even a dragon who would
cause terrible storms when angry.
Our bus took us on a day tour to
some tourist sites, one of which was
the incredible stair climbing park,
or Wipfelwanderweg, in nearby Rachau. As beautiful as the Austrian
forests are, without this type of stair
and play structure, one could not
easily get as high up into a forest,
or get as great a view as those who
climbed to the top were rewarded
with.
The traveling families came away
with more great experiences of
dance, culture and the outdoors; and
a realization that we had traced the
world wide ‘export’ of the Lederhosen fellow and unique style of the
Schuhplattler and related dances
to their place of origin – Austria
and Bavaria, Germany. As an exported tradition, still deep rooted
in its home, we were impressed
with how well some of the dances
are being performed here in North
America. Unlike in southern Germany, in the Swabian Albs, where
we learned many many new things,
in Styria, we met up with a tradition
we already knew a little bit about.
19
The best thing we took home with us though, from this incredible summer adventure, was new friends, some of
whom we hope to host here in Saskatoon one day as well.
Posing with our friends from the
Steirische Trachtenjugend
Learning new dances to live music
Robert Mayer leading the dance workshop
Schuhplattler demonstration by Robert and Joseph
A Maypole in
every village
Presentation of new dance materials
Evidence of the importance of music and tradition
20
Burg Finstergrün
The view is worth the stair climbing!
1300 stairs up into the forest
- not everyone hiked them
in the conventional way
Our group up high in the
hills of beautiful Austria
Fabulous fables trail in the forest...
Classic shots
of our tour
of the castle
...and lots of fun ‘n games
21
German Language School Saskatoon Inc.
News from the School
Gabi Harrison
What is happening at our school
these days? As a Heritage Language
School, our mandate is to teach language as well as the German heritage and culture. Therefore, Sankt
Nikolaus decided to stop at our
school to visit the young learners in
December. He was surprised to find
a classroom full of children age 5-17
who were excited to welcome him.
Our German visitor asked the children about their names, their hobbies and favourite colours. Nikolaus
was pretty impressed that he was
understood so well!
The students then recited poems in
German, sang songs and danced a
little dance. Somehow during his
visit, Nikolaus managed to fill the
students’ shoes with treats, just
like it is being done in Germany!
We all hope that Sankt Nikolaus
will find his way back to our school
next December!!!
Starting in February 2012, our
school is offering an A2-preparation
class followed by the German Language Exam level A2. This is a linguistic qualification level and a first
step towards the DSD I (Deutsches
Sprachdiplom I). The class will focus on reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written communication and oral communication.
If you are interested in learning German, refreshing your language skills
or work towards a linguistic certification, please contact Gabi Harrison,
[email protected].
Mitchel, a Second Level student, reading
out his Christmas poem.
News from the Preschool in Saskatoon
Ulrike Hecker
These past few months at Hansel
and Gretel Preschool have been
some of our busiest yet! In January, we took a field trip to Luther
Care Community Center and Central Haven Special Care Home
to visit with our elderly friends.
Many of the members of these care
homes have German heritage and
really appreciate the culture that
embodies our preschool. The children performed various German
songs such as Brüderchen komm
tanz mit mir (Little Brother Come
Dance with Me), the German version of Head and Shoulders as well
as a variety of rhymes and dances.
22
Our children are always enthusiastic and proud to show off all that
they know and love to teach adults
a little German. After our performance, the children were able to
interact with their elderly friends
over play dough, cookies and juice.
This was a great opportunity for the
little ones to gain confidence and a
level of comfort with elderly people
who may not be like them. The old
folks were so appreciative of the
time spend with our children and always find these visits refreshing and
invigorating! Even the ride to and
from the Homes can be an adventure
on the big yellow school bus where
we sing songs and play games. We
are currently planning another trip
to these facilities around Christmas.
In February, we got to partake in the
famous German holiday, Fasching.
This celebration was, for many, a
learning experience as it is not very
well known in Canadian culture.
The children got to dress up in silly
costumes, did crafts and played all
sorts of Fasching games. The parents acted as the float and threw
candies for the children to collect.
We learnt a German Fasching song
and all of the children received
noise makers to scare away the
winter. After all of these activities,
we shared Krapfen, a traditional
German dessert that is made special
for this occasion.
I would like to say a thank you
to SGC and Saskatchewan Lotteries from all of us at the Hansel
and Gretel Preschool. Without you,
many of these cultural celebrations
would not be possible. Your assistance is appreciated. Overall, our
Preschool is a growing community,
with plenty of cultural and educational activities. Classes for fall
2012 are filling up quickly, so if
you or someone you know would
like to register, please contact Uli
Hecker at (306) 651-0436 or e-mail
[email protected].
For
more information, please visit
www.hanselandgretelpreschool.ca.
Jagd- & Fischverein “Waidmann’s Lust”
An Update from the Club
Franz Koenig
Competition shooting for the Schützenkönig and Schützenliesl took
place on Sunday, October 2. The
winners were Franz and Frieda
Koenig. What a coincidence. The
yearly competition between the
Austrian Edelweiss Hunting Club
and our club was on Sunday, November 6 and we congratulate the
Austrian Club for winning the trophy. The annual Hunting Club supper and dance was held on Saturday, November 19, with a delicious
meal of wild boar, beef and pork.
The hunting club members serenaded the audience with a couple of
hunting songs.
Attendance was somewhat less
than in previous years due to a date
change to an earlier time in the
month, but everyone enjoyed good
food, good dancing music and a lot
of great prizes that were won. The
annual trophy night was held on Saturday, January 28. Trophies for fish
and game were given for respective entries. The sportsman of the
year trophy was won by Karl Kauk.
The annual picnic will take
place on Saturday, July 7, 2012.
In the past year we lost two of
our long-time members – Gerhard Vogt died on April 5,
2011, and Helmut Westphal on
October 15, 2011. Our deepest condolences go out to the families.
We miss you greatly in our midst.
An ice fishing derby is planned for
early March. Election of officers
and acceptance of new members and
acceptance of new members and
was held on Thursday, March 1.
23
Karnevalsgesellschaft Harmonie
Greetings from Karnevalsgesellschaft Harmonie
Darlene Rubrecht
One of our members, Shirley
Schneider, received a special honour. She received the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. “Her work
has enriched, empowered and redirected the lives of thousands of the
province’s youth, especially single
mothers and young women. She
has built bridges between cultures,
and has tirelessly worked to bring
attention and understanding to the
issues of youth depression, stress
and suicide.” (From her biography.)
A hearty congratulation goes out to
Shirley from K.G. Harmonie.
We received some special medallions from FEN Federation
Europaischer Narren.
We receive these medallions every
year to honour members for their
contributions to German culture and
the Karneval tradition. Our group
chose 4 people to receive these medallions -- Shirley Schneider, our
Order of Merit winner, our dance
instructors Cheryl and Sheila Aldous, and Charles Mutschall, a long
standing member.
On February 18 we held Kinderfasching, the children’s costume party and dance. Approximately 60 people attended the
event. There were many different types of costumes from mermaids, bumblebees and ladybugs
to pumpkins, Jedai and Mario.
The children enjoyed the fishing
pond along with bowling and a ring
toss. There were spot dances and the
ever popular Musical Chairs. The
children did a promanade to show
off their costumes. The Princess
and Master of Cermonies chose
the winners and awarded a number of prizes. The Karneval group
sold hot dogs and special cookies supplied by Cheryl and Sheila.
All in all, everbody had a fun time.
We have elections coming up in
April. At this time we are looking
for people to come on the Elferat.
Prince Albert German Canadian Club “Waldhorn”
News from the Prince Albert Club
Louise Fornal
The Prince Albert German Club
held its annual Christmas party on
Saturday, December 10 at Scouts
Hall. This festive event always
brings a good turnout and this
year was no exception. Fortyfour
adults and children attended and
enjoyed a delicious meal catered
by RH Catering. Homemade wine
with our meal was generously donated by Henry and Lorna Buller.
24
We later sang English and German Christmas carols with each
table naming a request. We were
lucky to yet again be treated to
the extremely talented Trudel
Family, as they sang and played
for us. Louise Fornal received a
beautiful bouquet of flowers from
the Club for her volunteer work.
Children spent time at the activity
table where they found colouring
and Christmas cookie decorating.
We held a ham raffle and 50 / 50
draw. The ham was kindly donated
by Willi and Sheila Baessler once
again, as they have done for many
years. Throughout the evening,
people were able to silently bid on
items that were donated by members in attendance. There was a wide
variety of items that were so generously given. A special thank you to
Henry and Lorna Buller for their
very generous donation of many
different kinds of homemade wine.
Near the end of the evening, Santa,
(Orest Zelensky), dropped in for a
visit and brought gifts for the children. That really put a smile on
everyone’s face. At the end of the
party we made a draw for six door
prizes. A very gracious thank you to
everyone who donated their time,
talent, food, and items for the silent
auction. The Prince Albert German
Club members and friends are very
giving. It was a lot of fun to see everyone and chat with one another. It
is always a really nice way to end
the year.
Our Club has once again made a
contribution to the Prince Albert
Music Festival which will be held
throughout the month of March.
We have donated two $50.00
scholarships to vocal performers
who sing in the German language.
Names of the recipients of these
awards will be printed after the conclusion of the festival.
Our annual general meeting will be
held on Sunday, April 22 at 2 p.m.
at the Messiah Lutheran Church.
All positions will be up for election.
President Les Lautner, Secretary
Louise Fornal and executive member Joyce Zelensky will be stepping
down from their positions and will
not be up for re-election. The treasurer position still remains vacant
and needs to be filled. All Prince Albert German Club members are encouraged to attend. Bring a friend.
Beginner German classes will begin
again this spring. Classes will run
for 10 weeks on Thursdays starting
April 5 to June 7. They will be held
at the Messiah Lutheran Church
from 7 to 9 p.m. Anyone interested
needs to register by calling Louise
at 764-2853. Our Club is still without a choir director. Our small, fun
and informal choir enjoys to sing
and needs someone who would like
to lead them. Most songs are sung in
German, though speaking German
is not a requirement. The Club has
sheet music, but you can also bring
your own. If you or someone you
know has any questions or is interested, please call Les at 922-5365.
You would be so very much appreciated!
Enjoy the wonderful changes ahead
that this new season brings. Happy
spring!
Saskatoon German Days Committee beim Heritage Festival
Am Sonntag, dem 5. Februar 2012
nahm das Saskatoon German Days
Committee am Heritage Festival im
Western Development Museum in
Saskatoon teil. Schon zum dritten
Mal waren die Komitee-Mitglieder
Rosa Gebhardt, Barbara Stehwien,
Brigitte Boldt-Leppin und Barbara
Hoggard-Lulay beim gut besuchten
Heritage Festival dabei, um ihr
„Egg Money“-Projekt weiter voranzubringen.
Aus Gesprächen mit Besuchern
des Heritage Festivals erfuhren die
Komitee-Mitglieder, daß die „Egg
Money“-Bronzeskulptur, die im
September 2009 eingeweiht wurde,
sehr gut bekannt ist und als wichtige
und sehr passende Ergänzung der
Umgebung des neuen Farmers’
Market und River Landing angesehen wird.
Hauptzweck für die diesjährige
Teilnahme war es, Aufmerksamkeit für das „Egg Money“-Buch zu
erwecken, das im Juni 2012 vorgestellt werden wird. Dieses Buch
soll die Stärke und den Einfallsreichtum der Frauen würdigen, die
von den späten 1880er Jahren an
Familien und Gemeinden das Überleben sichern halfen. Die Geschichten der 24 erstaunlichen Frauen unterschiedlicher ethnischer Herkunft,
deren Namen um die Skultpur
herum eingraviert sind, wurden
von deren Familien zur Verfügung
gestellt. Sie erzählen die Lebens-
geschichten dieser Pionierfrauen,
die geprägt waren von Mut, Mühsal
und Beharrlichkeit. Das Buch wurde
zusammengestellt, um alle mutigen
Pionierfrauen von Saskatchewan zu
ehren und ihrer zu gedenken.
Die Bücher können mit dem auf
Seite 26 angefügten Formular bis
zum 1. Mai 2012 vorbestellt werden.
Das Bestellformular finden Sie ebenfalls auf der SGC Webseite und
zu gegebener Zeit auch Datum und
Ort der Buchvorstellung in Saskatoon. Das Komitee verkaufte einige
SGC-Bücher, die German Cultural
Traditions“, den „St. Peter’s Boten“
und Sudeten in Saskatchewan“.
Und auch deutsch-kanadische Flaggen- Anstecker waren sehr gefragt.
25
Saskatoon German Days Committee at Heritage Festival
The Saskatoon German Days Committee attended the Heritage Festival at the Saskatoon Western Development Museum on Sunday,
February 5, 2012. This was already
the third time that committee members Rosa Gebhardt, Barbara Stehwien, Brigitte Boldt-Leppin and
Barbara Hoggard-Lulay participated in this well attended heritage
fair to promote and follow-up their
“Egg Money” project.
From conversations with visitors
of the Heritage Festival the committee members learnt that the
“Egg Money” bronze sculpture,
unveiled in September 2009, is
very well known and recognized
as an important and much suitable addition to the new Farmers’
Market area and River Landing.
This year the main purpose for the
committee was to attract attention
for the “Egg Money” book that
will be launched in June 2012. This
book recognizes the strength and resourcefulness of women who helped
families and communities survive
from the late 1800s onward. The
stories of the 24 amazing women
from different ethnic backgrounds
whose names are engraved around
the sculpture were provided by their
families. They tell about the lives of
courage, hardship and perseverance
of these pioneer women. The book
has been compiled to honour and
commemorate all the brave pioneer
women of Saskatchewan.
Books can be pre-ordered until May
1, 2012, using the from below. Or
you can check the SGC website at
at www.saskgermancouncil.org for
the pre-order form and soon also
the date and location of the book
launch in Saskatoon. The committee also sold several SGC books, the
“German Cultural Traditions”, the
“St. Peters Bote” and “Sudeten in
Saskatchewan”, and also GermanCanadian flag pins were in high demand.
Egg Money
A Tribute to Saskatchewan pioneer women
A project of the Saskatoon German Days Committee
‘Early Bird’ Pre-Order Form
To be released
June 2012
PRE-ORDERS MUST BE RECEIVED BEFORE MAY 1, 2012
Name (please print)
_________________________________________________
Mailing address
_________________________________________________
Town/City, Prov.
_________________________________________________
Postal Code _____________________________________
Phone No. ( _____ ) _______________________
Email:
____________________________________________________
Pre-order copies at $17 / book (includes GST)
Fill in order form or order online at www.driverworks.ca
______ books @ $17 (GST incl) = $ ___________
Add $3 shipping for first book __________
Add $1 shipping for every additional book - __________
Total =
$ _____________
Please make cheque payable to DriverWorks Ink
& send to: 110 McCarthy Blvd. N., Regina, SK, S4R 6A4
For more information, call DriverWorks Ink - 306-545-5293
See excerpts online - www.driverworks.ca
26
In September 2009, the
Committee unveiled the
Egg Money statue in
downtown Saskatoon to
honour pioneer women
from all ethnic backgrounds for their lives of
courage,
hardship
and
perseverance. This bronze
work of art portrays women
who, assisted by their
children, raised chickens
and sold eggs to buy goods
for their families. It
recognizes the strength and resourcefulness of women who helped
families and communities survive from the late 1800s onward. The
stories of 24 of these amazing women were written by their families
for this Egg Money book, to honour and commemorate all the brave
pioneer women of Saskatchewan.
SKAT Club Saskatoon
Skat News from Saskatoon
Hans-Jürgen Steinmetz
The Skat Club Saskatoon continues
to play their favourite game every
Wednesday evening at the German
Cultural Center (Concordia Club).
Several new members who joined
the club lately appear to be enjoying
themselves, as they keep showing
up to play.
The Christmas Skat was held Saturday December 10, and was a
great success. The newcomers were
quickly introduced to the tournament style of play. The Christmas
tournament was won by Andy Oppenlaender.
The next Wednesday, Dececember
14, the club held its Annual General
Meeting, with the following positions in the club being filled either
by election or acclamation:
President: Hans-Jügen Steinmetz,
Secretary: Barry Neufeld, Treasurer: Siegfried Fahr. The meeting was
followed by awards being presented
to the various winners over the past
year. Best player in 2011 was HansJürgen Steinmetz. The Regina Hildebrandt Trophy for best attendance
was won by Siegfried Fahr. The
evening was completed by the usual
round of Skat.
We are still offering free lessons for
people who would like to learn how
to play the most challenging card
game SKAT.
The club would like to draw your attention to several significant events
which will occur this year:
March 24: 10:00 a.m Easter Skat
will be held,
May 24, 25, 26, and 27 – The club
will host the North American Skat
Championship together with the
Saskatchewan Skat tournament and
the Challenge Cup.
On Monday, May 28 we will have
a training course followed by a
test for our licensed international
referees at the German Cultural
Center.
I believe that many interesting
things will be available for those
who wish to attend as spectators.
We are still playing every Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the German Cultural
Center.
For more information about our
club or on Skat please phone 6643664.
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Regina
News from the Trinity Church
Frida Koenig
We are indeed blessed with this
beautiful warm, almost snow-less
weather this year in the Prairies.
We do know it delineates the misery by floods experienced last year
and, hopefully, there will be enough
moisture for crops in the drier area
of the province. We have had a
host of activities in our church –
some very happy and others not
so. A very strong, active leader of
our church, President of German
Ladies Aid for many years, German choir member, Erna Fenske,
passed away on January 16. We express our sincerest condolences to
her husband Waldermar, her children, and many relatives. Erna will
be greatly missed in all work of the
church especially in the German
aspect of the church.
On January 22 Luise Gundt, celebrated her 90th birthday in our
church hall with a come and go
tea from 1 to 3 p.m. followed by a
catered supper for relatives and invited guests. We wish Luise many
blessings for many more happy and
healthy years. The tables were beautifully decorated with pink and red
roses and blue ribbons so charmingly assembled by Berbel Knoll.
Thanks to the Ladies who helped in
the kitchen all afternoon.
On Friday, February 17 the Greystone Singers from the University
of Saskatoon under the direction
of Gerald Langner, Head of the
Department of Music, performed
a coral repertoire from traditional
and classical to sacred and secular,
including folk songs and spirituals
27
in a variety of languages and styles.
By the way, Dr. Gerald Langner is
the brother to Ruby Naujok, a longtime member of the Volksliederchor
in Regina. This concert was enjoyed by approximately 170 people
followed by a reception with food
and drink in the church hall. Twenty four members of the choir were
billeted by host families. The choir
went on to give concerts in several other communities in southern
Saskatchewan.
Shrove Tuesday, February 21, was
celebrated with a Pancake Supper.
Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent,
began with a German Service at
1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. in English.
Upcoming Lenten services are as
follows:
Every Wednesday in Lent - German
Service at 1:30 p.m.
Maundy Thursday, April 5, 5:30 p.m.
Bread & Soup Supper, followed by a
Worship Service at 6:30 p.m.
Good Friday, April 6, 9:30 a.m. German Service, 11 a.m. English Service.
Easter Sunday, April 8 – Early Rise
service at 7:30 a.m., breakfast at
8:30 a.m. German Worship Service
at 9:30 a.m., Breakfast at 10 a.m. and
English Service at 11 a.m.
For further information regarding
church services, etc, please call the
church at 757-7729 or go onto the
website at www.trinityregina.ca
We wish everyone a very happy and
blessed Easter as we celebrate the
most significant event of Christianity.
Village of Edenwold
News from Edenwold
Christine Galbraith
The year was 1912 – a year that
would not soon be forgotten in Saskatchewan, in Canada or, indeed,
around the world. In October, Premier Walter Scott welcomed Queen
Victoria’s son, Prince Arthur, Duke
of Connaught, at the official opening of the province’s Legislative
Building. Months earlier, in June, a
cyclone had shorn a path of destruction through downtown Regina and
a residential area just across Wascana Lake, setting the record for
the most deadly tornado in Canada,
with 28 lives lost. It was a toll made
no less tragic by comparison to the
heartbreaking loss of more than
1,500 lives in the sinking of the Titanic, the world’s largest ship, on its
maiden voyage in April.
In news that warranted much smaller headlines in newspapers of the
day, a new village was incorporated just a few miles northeast of
the capital city. Edenwold’s name
originated from a conversation between two early citizens in which
one – a reverend – remarked that the
region reminded him of the Garden
28
of Eden. The other, noting the many
groves of aspen in the area, suggested it was more like the “Woods of
Eden” – or Edenwald. A clerical error in Ottawa at the time the village
was registered changed the spelling
to Edenwold, the name the community carries to this day.
Today, 100 years later, Edenwold
is making plans for a Centennial
Celebration on Saturday, June 9,
2012. The celebration kicks off at 11
a.m. with a parade (entries are still
being accepted) and runs through
the day, winding up with fireworks
and a family dance. There’ll be a
lunch, old-fashioned fun and activities for the whole family, a petting
zoo, a barbeque beef supper, entertainment and a canteen that will
run throughout the day. Souvenirs
are already available and include a
community cookbook, aprons, pins
and license plates. Former residents, family members and anyone
with a connection to the community
are invited to attend and community
members – many of whom include
later generations of the families that
helped settle and build Edenwold –
are getting ready to play host.
The earliest settlers in the Edenwold area were of German descent.
In fact, the area is home to the
second-oldest German settlement
in the province, according to The
Encyclopedia of Canada’s Peoples.
The first to arrive, in 1885, were
German Baptists from the Dobruja
area of Romania on the Black Sea.
They founded the colony of New
Tulcea (later to be renamed Edenwold). German immigrants from
Bukovina, Poland, Galicia and Russia joined them – some before the
turn of the century and some in a
second wave of settlement in the
early 1900s.
Newcomers often worked the farms
of the established pioneers until
they were able to buy their own. The
railway helped turn Edenwold into a
thriving Prairie community and one
of a handful of areas in Saskatchewan
that attracted chain migrations from
various regions of Eastern Europe.
Rudolph Galenzoski, who came to
the area as a child with parents in
1889, wrote later about how quickly
farming progressed: “All the farmers in the district used oxen but in
the beginning of the nineties they
bought horses from ranchers. At
the beginning of 1900 the farmers bought steam plowing engines
and by 1909 they got gas tractors to
work the land.”
In 1911, the completion of the Grand
Trunk Pacific rail line from Melville
to Regina precipitated the surveying
and development of the town site.
An advertisement in the Leader Post
urged people to get in on the ground
floor, suggesting it was a prime
time to set up lumber yards, implement dealerships, banks, hotels and
more. In 1912, the post office moved
from the countryside into the village and a new school was built.
The village flourished, even playing host to the Prince of Wales for
a week of duck hunting on his tour
through Canada in 1919.
In its early history, Edenwold boasted several “firsts”. In 1886, the Baptist settlers formed the first German Baptist congregation west of
Winnipeg. The following year, they
built their first church several kilometres south of the current village.
In 1904, John Brandt – who went on
to become a founding member of
the Saskatchewan Cattle Breeder’s
Association – established the first
purebred Shorthorn herd in what
would become the Province of Saskatchewan. He was later inducted
into the Saskatchewan Agriculture
Hall of Fame in 1974.
Today, Edenwold is home to about
250 people, many of whom can still
trace their roots back to the first
families to settle in the area. And
they’re extending an invitation and
rolling out the welcome mat for this
special celebration. To enter a float,
let organizers know you’re coming,
purchase souvenirs or to get more
information, contact the Village of
Edenwold, www.villageofedenwold.
ca, or join the Centennial Facebook page, https://www.facebook.
com/groups/EdenwoldCentennial/.
Don’t miss it – a celebration like
this only comes around once in a
century!
Volksliederchor Concordia
An Update from the Volksliederchor Concordia
Margot Hasner
The Volksliederchor Concordia
Saskatoon actively continues to perform with love and enthusiasm.
Our first performance in the new
club house was at the grand opening in August of 2011. The hall was
filled to capacity, the food was excellent and we were part of the entertainment. The positive feedback
from the audience tells us that our
choir, although small, still has a
place in adding and important part
to the German cultural events and
the community at large.
The grand opening was followed by
Folkfest, where we also performed
for three days.
Fall was busy with our weekly choir
practice on Monday evenings and
performing at senior homes, etc.
On November 25, the Ursuline
Sisters had a luncheon at the club
house and asked us to be their
entertainment. We started our program with the beautiful song Gott
Grüsse Dich, followed by very wellknown folk songs. Since most of the
sisters speak German they remembered some of the songs and they
sang along with us. After singing
the sisters asked the choir members
to tell a little about ourselves (just a
short history). It was very interesting, not only for the sisters, but also
for us. Then it was our turn to ask
the Sisters questions about them and
we found out that one Sister came
here directly from Germany. It was
a wonderful afternoon and one of
our highlights in 2011.
On December 4 we had our Christmas Concert. The audience started
coming at 1 p.m. and did not stop
until the concert started. The hall
was full! Jon Tyson, our clubmanager, and his staff kept bringing
in more tables and chairs. Even
some of the audience members
lent a helping hand! How wonderful it was to see so many people.
Our only worry was that we didn’t
have enough cake for the Kaffeeklatsch after the concert. Thankfully,
there was enough! The Concordia
Brass Band opened the concert,
the choir sang, we had beautiful
solo performances, the Musikanten performed and the audience
sang with us. The concert ended
with Stille Nacht, Heillige Nacht.
Our concert was a great success. Is
there a more beautiful way to greet
the Christmas season than with our
beautiful German Christmas songs?
We ended our 2011 season
with a Christmas party on December 6, Nikolaus Day, a very
special day in German culture.
29
Johanna Tataryn, a person with
many talents made all the table
decorations and also a tree ornament for each person attending. We
are very lucky that she is part of our
choir. Everybody was also presented with a homemade card which
included a beautiful poem. Stories
were told, poems were read and, of
course, Christmas songs sung. It
was a wonderful gemütlicher evening with good company, good food
and full of Christmas spirit.
On February 27, 2012 we started
choir practice for our May 6 Spring
Concert.
Thank you to everybody for their
support and especially the financial support from the Saskatchewan
German Council.
See you at our Spring Concert.
Volksliederchor Harmonie Inc.
News from the Volksliederchor Harmonie
Darla McKellar
Come sing with us!
The first night of rehearsal for the
winter semester of Volksliederchor
was on Tuesday, January 17. That
evening was also our first coffee
party of 2012. It was arranged by
Annette Volman and gave members
a chance to visit and catch up with
each other. Everyone enjoyed the
company, coffee, and goodies!
Volksliederchor Harmonie is delighted by the fact that our choir
continues to grow – two new voices
have joined us since January! We
are happy to have one new tenor
and one new bass among us. Welcome aboard, fellows!
On March 9, those members of our choir who could
attendedattend
would
got
30
together for a social. The evening was with friendship, laughter,
smiles, stories, and an all-around
good time.
We are busy preparing for our
Spring Concert which will take
place on Sunday, May 6, 2:30 p.m.
at the German-Canadian Society
Harmonie in Regina. We hope that
our Spring Concert will repeat the
success of our Weihnachtskonzert,
held this past December, where we
were blessed with an amazing attendance – every table was full.
Included in the crowd were two
very special guests from Vancouver, German Consul General Hermann Sitz and his wife Nina. We
were so thrilled to have them in
attendance and it was our honour
to sing in front of everyone there.
Thank you to everyone who joined
us for the Weihnachtskonzert – we
appreciate your continued support.
As mentioned at the beginning of this
article, Volksliederchor Harmonie
invites you to come and sing with
us! Anyone interested in joining our
choir is more than welcome! We
rehearse at the German-Canadian
Society Harmonie, 1727 St. John
Street, every Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m.
E-mail [email protected]
if you would like to contact us!
Hoorig, hoorig isch die Katz
und wenn die Katz nicht hoorig waer,
dann fängt sie keine Mäuse mehr!
Borschtig, borschtig isch die Suu
und wenn die Suu nit borschtig isch,
dann gib sie keine Leberwuerscht.
Luschtig isch die Fasenacht,
wenn mei Mudder Kichle bacht,
wenn sie aber koni bacht,
pfeif ich auf die Fastnacht.
S’goht en Bur in Garte und schiest,
er butzt de Arsch mit Nessle,
ei ei ei des biest.
Haet der Bur des Krietle kennt,
no haet er ‘s Fiddle nit verbrennt!
Narro!
Hansili du Lumpehund,
haesch nit gwisst wenn d’Fasnet kunnt,
haetsch dr ‘s Muul mit Wasser g’riebe,
waer dr ‘s Geld im Beutel bliebe.
Publication Mail Agreement # 42086521
Please return unclaimed copies to:
Saskatchewan German Council Inc.
John V. Remai Center
510 Cynthia Stree
Saskatoon, SK S7L 7K7
Supported by:

Spring 2012 - Saskatchewan German Council

Transcription

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