Happy New Year! 2015 was quite a year and it looks like 2016 will be even more fantastic!
Karneval
The custom of Karneval dates back to 17th Century Germany, coming from the Latin term carne levare (no meat) and is association with the season of Lent. Also called “The Fifth Season” in Germany, it begins on the 11th
minute past the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and ends with a bang on Ash Wednesday. Like Mardi Gras, Karneval is one last chance for fun! Complete with parades, parties and balls, the fun begins when the Festkomitee des Karnevals meets. There is a selection of the Dreigestirn – the three symbolic figures of Karneval – a prince, a peasant and a virgin (always played by a man!) Little happens just then, as Advent begins soon after, and then Christmas, which doesn’t end until January 6th. Fasching, in Munich and Bavaria, has similar customs, with a crowning of the Fasching prince and princess (das Faschingsprinzenpaar) in mid-January. The Mayor and the Dreigestirn kick off the events then.
The carnival Reitercorps der Ranzengarden wear colorful, stylized copies of historic Prussian and Austrian uniforms. In the north and in the Rhineland Karneval is noted for its political and social parody with elaborate pokes at kings and politicians. Fasching and Fastnacht has emphasis on traditional masks and dressing up as devils, fools and wild beasts. As the entire event precedes Lent, vast amounts of food and drink are consumed! Its a lot of German fun!
St. Louis Stuttgart Winterball Karneval
In Germany, one of the best-known carnivals takes place in Köln. (Cologne). In Missouri, the best Karneval is held by the St. Louis- Stuttgart Sister City Association (founded in 1960) which will host its’ 29th Annual Winterball Karneval this coming year on Saturday, January 30 at the Clayton Plaza Hotel, 7750 Carondelet Avenue. Special Guests will be S.T. Prinz Michael II & I.L. Prinzessin Anita I of the Germania Society of Cincinnati Ohio and S. T. Prinz John Leo I & I.L. Prinzessin Marie I of the Germania Club of Kansas City. For more information see stl4stuttgart .com where tickets can be purchased or you can call 636-221-1524.
Mark your Calendars…Coming up Soon!
German Immigrant Abolitionists: Fighting for a Free Missouri
February 12 – May 15, 2016 Saint Louis University – Center for Global Citizenship, Seminar Room 124. On February 12, 2016 there will be an opening reception with Dr. Sydney Norton who will give a Curator’s talk at 4 pm. On March 31, 2016 Dr. Steven Rowan will present From the Wacheputsch to the Missouri Putsch: German Radicals Invite Themselves to the American Civil War at 5 pm. (Public Viewing by Appointment: Call 314-977-9326 or email: michaelk@slu.edu ). More information on this event can be found at http://www.slu.edu/department-of-languages-literatures-and-cultures/news-and-events/german-abolitionist-exhibition
May 1, 2016 Missouri Germans Consortium’s First Annual – Maifest at Dutzow: A German Heritage Culture Fest
Spend the day at Lake Creek and visit and hear the stories of the 1830s immigrants where it all began.
Missouri German Heritage Corridor of Missouri has its own website now. For more on the Missouri Humanities initiative see missourigermanheritagecorridor.org
For all of the latest news on Germans in Missouri, the history, culture, genealogy and more subscribe to Mo-Germans.com today. Check out our EVENTS Page for a Year FULL of great German American events, or follow us on Facebook and get LIVE updates !
For more events see Missouri Germans Consortium‘s EVENTS page. And if you would like to see your event listed for free please email us at MissouriGermans@gmail.com
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