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Fastnacht (Carnival)
The end of January is usually the start of the carnival period which finishes at the beginning of March. Apart from dancing, one of the essential carnival traditions is "Zampern". Children, men and women dressed up in fanciful costumes, accompanied by a band, go through their villages and ask for gifts. People give sweets and a few cents to the children; eggs, bacon, money and a glass of spirits to the grown-ups. Also a dance with the mistress of each house is obligatory on this procession. The "Zampern" is complete by the final egg meal or the "Eierkuchenball" (pancake ball) when the collected eggs are cooked and eaten. The money collected is used for drinks and to pay the musicians.
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Stollenreiten (horse racing)
Stollenreiten is a harvest tradition and is organized on Sundays at several places. Horseback riders race across a big stubble-field (cornfields after the harvest). Traditionally a Stollen (fruit-loaf) is handed to the winners, and that is why this horse-race is called "Stollenreiten".
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Hahnrupfen /Kranzreiten ( "pluck the cock" and "garland-riding")
Both events are horse riding competitions. The young men try to catch at a gallop a dead cockerel hung up on a beam (in old times this was done with a living animal).
At the Kranzreiten competitions, a woven garland must be speared and lifted down with a forked tree branch.
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Easter Bonfire
At midnight between Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, a huge bonfire is lit. The villagers gather round it, spending a cheerful few hours chatting and drinking. Some places still keep up the tradition of fetching Easter water. The village girls go drawing water, not allowed to speak. The Easter water is said to have special powers so that the girls become (or remain!) beautiful and healthy. |
Waleien (Easter Egg Roll)
Waleien is also linked with Easter. Hard-boiled eggs are rolled down from a sand hill on a sloping track. If an egg is stopped somewhere the player who touches that egg with another one will get it.
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Decorated Easter Eggs
This tradition is still kept up. In the evenings the family sits together and decorates eggs using beeswax, goose-quills and pins. Dots, lines and triangles are arranged in fancy coloured patterns. After that the eggs are often dyed, and the wax is removed. There are differing decorative techniques, for example the wax method and also scratch and etching techniques.
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Pingeln/Pingelholen
In various Spreewald areas, children up to the age of 12 or 13 still stick to the custom of visiting their godparents to collect small presents. They use a "Pingel" for this (mostly a white cloth) which gives this tradition its name.
For children with many godparents this means getting quite a few presents such as sweets, toys, or clothes. The godparents who provide the gifts are also hereby reminded of their responsibility - to look after the godchild, to help and support him or her.
When children make their last Pingeln visit at their godparents' home, they thank them with a verse for all the previous years' gifts. This is called "Abdanken" .
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