LL-L "Festivals" 2002.10.02 (05) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 02.OCT.2002 (05) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Holger Weigelt <platt at HOLGER-WEIGELT.DE>
Subject: LL-L "Festivals" 2002.09.25 (07) [E]

>From: Thomas Byro <thbyro at earthlink.net>
>Subject: Festivals/songs
>
>We had a local festival in the Rahden area, Suenematen (please pardon
>spellings).  It was much like Halloween with the difference that we
hollowed
>out a turnip called a Kuerbis, rather than a pumpkin, and carved out a
>frightening face, put a lit candle in it and put it out.  We would also go
>from house to house, singing a song.  It began "Suenematen, Gauematen--"
 but
>I forgot how it went on, and we would get treats. This festival clearly has
>the same origins as Halloween and probably goes back to when the area was
>Keltic.  I have never met abyone from Germany who has heard of this
>festival.  Was it a local festival,found only in the Rahden area?  Does
>anyone know the song?
>
>Another festival involved people dancing around a bonfire at night.
Couples
>would then jump over the fire hand in hand. Something very similar is
>described in Gerhard Herm's book, The Kelts.  In his version though, the
>couples would have sex in the fields after jumping over the fire.  I don't
>think anything like that took place in my area but who knows?
>
>Tom

Hello Tom !
In Eastern Friesland we have a festival called >Su"nnermarten<. The word
simply means >Saint Martin<. It is on November 10th. Being genuine St.
Martin's day (11. November) it is associated with the birthday of the
church-reformer Martin Luther in protestant areas. Traditionally children
carrying >kipkapko"o"gels< = lanterns (often hand-made from paper or small
pumpkins [German: Ku"rbis]) walk from house to house singing songs
referring to Martin Luther or religious things and receive gifts (sweets,
chocolade or more traditional >pe:perno"o"ten< [gingernuts] and apples)
from the people. Many children also disguise and carry >sghabellenskoppen<
[masks]. Thus there is some similarity with halloween.
In former times November 11th was the day when taxes had to be payed, farm-
workers were set free from their contacts and livestock was fetched off the
pastures. A day life became much harder for many people and a tradition of
begging for provisional stock also lives on in the tradition explained
above.
On the other hand the song You mentioned reminds me to a song that is
associated with >Su"nnerklo´s< = St. Nikolaus-day (December 6th.). I'll
look whether I can find out the text and post it later.
There are many fire-festivals all over Europe. In Eastern Friesland the
most famous is >po´skefu"er< (Easter-fire) which is held at Saturday before
Easter. In single areas there is a tradition of jumping over the fire when
it is already low but these are exceptions. There are other traditions of
fire-jumping mostly with the so called >Johannisfeuer< in May. We haven't
them in Eastern Friesland but in other regions You can find frequent
examples. They are spring-rites and always associated with fertility of
nature, crops, livestock and even humans. In some areas the jumping over
the fire of a couple means a promise of marriage.

Kind regards
Holger

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