LL-L "Vocabulary" 2006.02.20 (02) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 20 January 2006 * Volume 02
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From: Roger Thijs
Subject: Vocabulary

I'm born in Vliermaal (Belgian Limburg) and "Vlier" is somehow a false
friend with neighbouring German.

Vlier (Dutch) = Holunder (German) = Elderberry (English) = Sureau (French)

Flieder (German) = Sering (Dutch) = Lillac (English) = Lillas (French)

The German Wikipedia says for "Flieder" that this word als also used for
"Holunder" in Northern Germany. Can this be confirmed?

In my Limburgish (Vliermaal)
we used "Vlier" for Elderberry,
and "toeteleer" for the wood:
we pushed out the cheese and turned the wood into a little blowing pipe,
and incidentally also turned it into a whistle.
A the time it grew quite wild into large trees in our village. I guess
they have all disappreared nowadays.
Vlier in ancient times (also spelled Flieder, cf. Fliedermaal in the
middle ages) had something magical, and the little village of Vliermaal
held the high court of appeal of the County of Loon (covering most of the
actual Belgian Limburg), directly submitted to the Reichskammergericht in
Speyer (later Wetzlar). Loon became a fief of the bishopric of Liège,
except for the judicial system that remained reichsunmittelbar (directly
dependent of the Holy Roman Empire)

For Lillac we used in my Limburgish (of Vliermaal): Sint-Jeurisbloem,
(Dutch?: Sint Jorisbloem). Sint Jeurisbloeme were traditionally put on the
graves of the deceased at  "kermis-Monday" in May (Monday following the
third Sunday of May).
("kermis" = kerk-mis = church-mass, fair of the village at the Sunday
close to the holiday of the Saint, the local church is devoted to; in
French "ducasse" but in Northern France also "kermesse")

Decleene & Lejeune in "Compemdium van rituele planten in Europa", 1999,
Gent, Mens & Cultuur, ISBN 90-72931-80-7, 1348 pp.,
deal with:
"Gewone Vlier", pp. 383-397
It was originally dedicated to Donar/Thor, later to Freya (Frau Holle)
"Sering" is not dealt with.

For the name "Sint-Jorisbloem" (in Vliermaal) for lillac:
I found some sayings about Sint Joris on the web (but no link to lillac):
http://home.conceptsfa.nl/~dea20642/Spreuken/spreuken.htm
April 23: Sint Joris
Een klavertje vier dat je op Sint Joris vindt, brengt geluk.
Als het woud met Sint Joris groen is, kan men vroeg oogsten.
Als Sint Joris zijn baard schudt (sneeuw), is het sneeuwen voorbij. Sint
Joris warm en schoon, heeft ruw en nat tot loon.

April is though too early for Vliermaal-kermis.
Coincident though can be the practice in the village of Sint-Joris-Winge,
quote from URL:
http://www.oostbrabant.org/site/oostbrabant1953/1953HagelandD50.php Om de
drie jaar, op de Zondag voor Pinksteren, wordt de plechtigheid van St
Joris steeds feestelijk gevierd met de processie van Florentië. Alle leden
van de St Jorisgilde stijgen te paard. Aan hun hoofd rijden de Koning der
Gilde en de Hoofdman, gevolgd door de andere ruiters. Dezen doen driemaal
de grote weg, terwijl de fanfare speelt op de grote straatweg. De
priesters met de relikwie van St Joris en de andere mensen volgen. Na een
uur komt men tegelijk naar de kerk : de ruiters blijven op het kerkhof en
de priester laat de St Jorisrelikwie vereren. Daarna begeven de ruiters
zich naar de St Jorisbron om de paarden te laten drinken.

Quite often Roman Catholic saints replace pagan deities for allowing old
pagan practices to be maintained.

So is "Vlier-Flieder" also a false friend in Northern Germany (mixing
Holunder with Flieder)?

mvg,
Roger

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