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PANCAKES!
- Thread starter Mickey Richaud
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Wow, and a group of my old elementary school buds spent yesterday discussing the Fastnacht celebrations of the PA Dutch heritage on Fat Tuesday. Deep fried potato doughnuts were the thing around here, and local doughnut shops do big business, although they normally are not real fastnachts. This is one of the explanations that landed in my mailbox yesterday:
"Now let’s put this in a historical context folks – all around the world at just this time, Catholics (the living remnants of the (Holy) Roman Empire) are celebrating their you-know-whats off before they have to start behaving themselves for Lent. Think Carnivale in Rio!!
In Germany, this is the time of Fasching (sounds a bit like fastnacht doesn’t it). There, brotherhoods from small villages (like Grundsau Lodges or crewes?) have, from time immemorial, been dressing up in traditional costumes and having their own parades (anyone for Mardi Gras?). Years ago, we were in Innsbruck at this time to witness this first hand. You had guys dressed up as old ladies with hand-carved wooden masks, you had guys wearing costumes covered with wooden clappers that made a lot of noise when they jounced up and down, you had guys with big golden headdresses that made you think of the sun king and you had guys cracking whips.
Guess what, these are remnants of old pagan rituals for driving away winter and welcoming the spring and summer (did I mention the schnapps – liberally shared, often with a firm slap on the back for good luck and fertility). The old ladies represented winter that was being driven out to prepare the way for the all-important growing season. Rather than go against the grain, Rome co-opted the pagan rituals into the German pre-Lenten celebrations. So I presume the PA Dutchies (protestants and largely Lutherans) still preserved a bit of Fasching with the doughnut ritual we grew up with in the Lehigh Valley. Typical frugal PA Dutch, one doughnut instead of a Bacchanal. Maybe someone of us can explain how the doughnut actually got involved. The eternal circle of life? Maybe Zippy can help us out on this one."
I guess I picked a bad time to start eating heart smart. My first Fastnacht day that I remember without any type of doughnuts.
"Now let’s put this in a historical context folks – all around the world at just this time, Catholics (the living remnants of the (Holy) Roman Empire) are celebrating their you-know-whats off before they have to start behaving themselves for Lent. Think Carnivale in Rio!!
In Germany, this is the time of Fasching (sounds a bit like fastnacht doesn’t it). There, brotherhoods from small villages (like Grundsau Lodges or crewes?) have, from time immemorial, been dressing up in traditional costumes and having their own parades (anyone for Mardi Gras?). Years ago, we were in Innsbruck at this time to witness this first hand. You had guys dressed up as old ladies with hand-carved wooden masks, you had guys wearing costumes covered with wooden clappers that made a lot of noise when they jounced up and down, you had guys with big golden headdresses that made you think of the sun king and you had guys cracking whips.
Guess what, these are remnants of old pagan rituals for driving away winter and welcoming the spring and summer (did I mention the schnapps – liberally shared, often with a firm slap on the back for good luck and fertility). The old ladies represented winter that was being driven out to prepare the way for the all-important growing season. Rather than go against the grain, Rome co-opted the pagan rituals into the German pre-Lenten celebrations. So I presume the PA Dutchies (protestants and largely Lutherans) still preserved a bit of Fasching with the doughnut ritual we grew up with in the Lehigh Valley. Typical frugal PA Dutch, one doughnut instead of a Bacchanal. Maybe someone of us can explain how the doughnut actually got involved. The eternal circle of life? Maybe Zippy can help us out on this one."
I guess I picked a bad time to start eating heart smart. My first Fastnacht day that I remember without any type of doughnuts.
V
vagt6
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The european rites and rituals, and their histories, are facinating. My favorite are the May Day celebrations in old Bavaria. May poles all over the place in Germany and Austria attest to the custom.
First young whelp to the top of the May pole gets the May queen!
Everything that's new, is old . . .
First young whelp to the top of the May pole gets the May queen!
Everything that's new, is old . . .
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vagt6 said:The european rites and rituals, and their histories, are facinating. My favorite are the May Day celebrations in old Bavaria. May poles all over the place in Germany and Austria attest to the custom.
First young whelp to the top of the May pole gets the May queen!
Everything that's new, is old . . .
and we can all guess what the original May pole represents ...
R
RonMacPherson
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Ah, European rites and rituals.
That's where "honeymoon" came from.
In their effort to get the population growing, medeival villagers would subsidize the newlyweds for their first month of marriage, by leaving honeymead at their doorway for the first month, or moon cycle....So the newlyweds could stay inside and enjoy the honeymead, and each other..
Guess it worked, we're here...
That's where "honeymoon" came from.
In their effort to get the population growing, medeival villagers would subsidize the newlyweds for their first month of marriage, by leaving honeymead at their doorway for the first month, or moon cycle....So the newlyweds could stay inside and enjoy the honeymead, and each other..
Guess it worked, we're here...