February
20, 2007 Fasching / Fastnacht(Faschingsdienstag). The
official start of the Fasching season is either January
7 (the day after Ephiphany, Dreikönige) or the 11th day
of the 11th month (Elfter im Elften, Nov. 11), depending
on the region.
Fastnacht. . . or Carnival (like Mardi Gras) is related to
the Germanic word “fasten” (to fast, abstain from eating).
Karneval is related to the Latin “carnem levare” (to remove
meat). The
Faschingsball is the ball held on the weekend before Ash Wednesday.
"With the last Fasching
(carnival) day they reached the high point of their pleasure at
carnival time. Some days a complete food package was wrapped up so
for example carnival doughnuts had to be given on carnival days,
spinach on Green Thursday, and noodles on Good Friday." [Customs on Festival Days
- Fasching - Carnivalby Dr. Viktor Pratscher [The
Germans of the Community of Feketic / Feketitsch];
Translated by Brad Schwebler]
Faschingball (Festival)
was the final Hurrah, prior to
Lent. Throughout Lent, sacrifices were made. No music was
played, no dancing, no eating meat, etc.; the final weekend
before Lent, dances were held on Sunday afternoon and in the
evening until early in the morning. We had no costumes and
everybody danced together (rich and poor). No weddings
throughout Lent, playing cards became popular. We did not
use masks at the Faschingball. [ Alex Leeb]
On the occasion of the completion of the threshing work the workers
went singing through the village pulling their threshing machine
decorated with flowers. There was no special harvest festival. The cold midday meal in the vineyard tasted excellent. The
effect of the many grapes and cider first comes later. Instead
of the former stomping on the grapes Treten (Trippeln), today
these are ground and pressed.
[Dr. Viktor
Pratscher, [The
Germans of the Community of Feketitsch] translated by Brad
Schwebler]
Celebration of the Bruckenau Kirchweih The video is about 28mins long. After window is open,
scroll down, on the
very bottom left corner, double click on the arrow, to
open video. The video is about the life style in Banat, around
Temeswar. [Alex]
Oct. 31 is All
Hallows Eve, the night before All
Saints Day
“The word Kirchweih is derived from
Kirche = church; weihen = to bless,
or to consecrate. When the
construction of a church was
finished, church services were being
held there as soon as possible.
Eventually the church was always
blessed or consecrated by the
bishop. Sometimes it took several
years before the bishop had the time
to go from village to village to
bless or consecrate the church.”
The consecration or blessing of a church usually
took place on a weekend. As an example, if a church
was blessed on Sunday, October 15, 1850, and October
15 in 1853 would fall on a Wednesday, the Kirchweih
would be celebrated on the Sunday following that
Wednesday. Some Kirchweih dates were later moved to
the fall, so that they would not interfere with the
work in the fields. Eventually Kirchweih became the
most important annual secular festival in every
village. To accommodate visitors from other
villages, Kirchweih was celebrated on a different
weekend in each village.
Nov 1 - "The Feast of All Saints" The Church commemorates on this day all the Saints in
heaven without
exception, and thus honors also those who are unknown
and who have no public recognition in the liturgy.
Nov 2 - "All Soul's Day" The practice of recommending to God the souls in
Purgatory that we may
mitigate the great pains which they suffer and that he
may soon bring them
into his glory. [All Souls Day is not only a Catholic event, but a
day to celebrate the life of your ancestors.]
Totensonntag - "Mourning
Sunday"
Observed in November on the
Sunday prior to the first Advent Sunday. The
Protestant version of All Soul's Day.
Christkind: Christ Child
Christkindl: Christ Child (Bavarian) Christkindlmarkt: Christmas Market Tannenbaum: Fir Tree Weihnachtsbaum: Christmas tree Fröhliche Weihnachten: Merry Christmas
The Hunyadi Kastell - End of the 20th Century
Temesvar 1900
Mehala
Archives
The
Controversial Christmas
Pickle
In Old World
Germany, the last decoration placed on the Christmas
Tree was always a pickle, carefully hidden deep in the
boughs.
Legend has it that the observant child who found
it on Christmas Day was blessed with a year of good
fortune and a special gift.
Dec
4 - St. Barbara Day
Dec
4 - the day our ancestors cut a
cherry tree branch
(or
forsythia), placed in a vase,
indoors - to bloom for Christmas
Day.
Advent starts on the fourth
Sunday before Christmas and is a
countdown to the coming of
Christ. Christians mark Advent
with special hymns and readings
in church; symbolic candles are
also lit to light the way for
Christ.
Dec
6 - St. Nicholas Feast Day,
which falls early in the
Advent season
Dec
8 - Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Dec 24 - Christmas Eve
Dec
25 - Birth of Christ
Dec 26 - St.
Stephen's Feast Day King
Stefan, who later was declared a saint, was
responsible for the political
unification and growth of the old
greater Hungary which lasted
over 100 years and which was one
of the aggravating thorns for the Serbian people.
January
