Missouri Germans Consortium

The latest news and interesting events going on in February from

Utopia documentary

Tandem Guides

St. Louis – Stuttgart Sister Cities Winter Ball

DOCUMENTARY FILM:  The St. Charles County German Heritage Club will show Peter Roloff’s documentary Utopia – Revisiting a German State in America on Wednesday, February 4th at 7 pm in Stegton’s Banquet Center in St. Charles. Join us for popcorn, and enjoy this encore performance! Bring a friend, everyone is invited.

UTOPIA’S TANDEM GUIDES:  Don’t miss the Tandem Guides from Bremen, in the Utopia Gallery on Saturday, February 21, at 2:30 pm when they perform.  The Tandem Guides are nine young people who have worked on the Utopia exhibit as it traveled across Germany from Giessen to Bremen. Now they will be joining Missouri History Museum’s Teens Make History that Saturday in the Gallery. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet and greet some enthusiastic Utopians!

DER ANZEIGER  – MISSOURI GERMAN’S E-JOURNAL:  Don’t get enough German?  Subscribe to our quarterly publication for more!

Our quarterly e-journal Der Anzeiger is an excellent source for stories about interesting places in Missouri and in Germany, and people who have contributed to the German legacy in our state. You will also find recipes, and music, book reviews, editorials, and other news about upcoming events.  How to articles for those working on their family history interested in their lives in the old world, or in how to make the connection!  Subscriptions are $25 with a 10% discount for those who are Charter subscribers before April 1st, 2015. Subscribe today!

WINTER BALL:  The St. Louis – Stuttgart Sister Cities, Inc. President Susanne Evens explains February’s big event, the Winter Ball on Saturday, Feb. 7th

Still unsure about attending the 28th Winter Ball Karneval? Let me explain German Mardi Gras to you: German Karneval is not the American Carnival and it is also not Mardi Gras. The festivities you may have seen in New Orleans drew their beginnings from Karneval in Germany, but that’s about it for what they truly share.So, what is German Karneval? Karneval in Germany began in the 16th century to allow commoners to mock the monarchy and politicians without fear of retribution, but it really took off in the 19th and 20th centuries. Therefore many “official” Karneval costumes copy some of those old official uniforms and dresses.

Karneval is nicknamed “The 5th Season” in Germany and starts on 11.11 at 11:11am and lasts until Ash Wednesday (which is in February or March of the following year).In Germany, the core time of the Karneval season are the two (2) weeks before Ash Wednesday. Some areas of Germany will basically shut down during the last week before Ash Wednesday – where people will party for 4-5 days in a row at street parties, bars, events, and in their homes.

On Rosenmontag (the Monday before Ash Wednesday) in the City of Köln (Cologne), over 1.5 million people will turn out to celebrate and to watch the 3 mile long Karneval parade. That same day, one could travel away from Köln and find other cities where 200,000 – 500,000 people have turned out for festivities in a particular city. The fact is Karneval is THE BIG EVENT during winter time in Germany.While there is no “true” recipe for Karneval, most cities have certain traditions that have come forward from the 16th century. However, many traditions can and do vary from city to city, town to town. They do though, share a few common attributes:

Elferrat – the “committee of 11” are basically the organizers of the events. The Elferrat wears distinctive uniforms and – especially important – ”funny” hats.

Royalties – most areas have “royals” that reign over the city during the Karneval season. The most common is a Prince often accompanied by a princess. The royals are surrounded by MANY “supporters” that have various functions (usually in a funny way)., e.g. there is a Prinzengarde (guard of the prince) – which may consist of (pretty) women – whose only task is to dance.

Show dance performances during the events – Some performances can be really artistic while others are just slapstick (i.e. men dressed as women). The performers are all amateurs, only performing during the season (but practicing all year long!)

Orden (medals) – every Karneval Club creates its own medal for each season. People dress up for Karneval events. The best comparison would be American Halloween. The big difference is that for Karneval people definitely dress up “funny”

Fun – the fun is mostly created by the audience by dressing up, dancing – and usually by a bit of drinking. However there are also more formal events where stand up (amateur) comedians provide quite a show, making timely fun of local or state events or themselves. Common rules are often abandoned, e.g. kissing strangers and provocative clothing (for women) is quite normal.

People need fun and relaxation. You had four weeks to clean up the Christmas tree, three weeks to recycle the bottles of the New Year’s eve party – now what?

German Karneval in America follows more or less the rules and tradition of the “original” Karneval. There will be a program and there will usually be dancing. It will be a mixture of German Oktoberfest songs and other “normal” ballroom dance music. If you expect a rave party, this is the wrong place.You are strongly encouraged to dress to the theme – no limits set. You want to show off – and you can. This way you can also go after one of the prizes in the costume contest! The program will have a series of formal steps, like marching in of the Elferrat and the royalties, greetings of guests and giving medals to honorees. But this is mixed with jokes and dance performances that often even involve the audience. Don’t expect Circue de Soleil, but dances with a good beat, some slapstick, and unusual dresses will certainly entertain you.

The important part is you, the friends you bring, and perhaps a designated driver! Everything will be over by the next morning, and often you won’t leave until then. The evening, costumes, dancing and drinks, are meant to celebrate and enjoy the craziness and freedom of that night. You are certainly encouraged to dance – even if you can’t (you won’t be alone!) – Enjoy, this is Karneval!!!

February 3, 2015 Tuesday– Tuesday tour with the Curator Traveling Summer Republic team member Dorris Keeven-Franke gives in-depth tour of the Utopia-Revisiting a German State in America Exhibit at the Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell, St. Louis