March 2002 - Nr. 3
Dick reports...
My last report on Mardi Gras…
…for this season anyway. With some regret I report on the last throes of carnival in this issue. On the other hand if carnival is over, spring is not far away. So here goes:
Loreley
Club and its carnival sidekick had a ball on the first February weekend in
Oshawa.
The main hall is not very large so it was pretty crowded, but there are other areas – away from the hubbub – where one can go to talk or have a smoke. The ‘nicotine niche’ even has a bar - if liquid refreshment is desired.
For
a relatively small carnival club they feature a large dance guard. Kinder,
Juniors and Seniors entertained during the evening. The "Einmarsch" was
spectacular! All these girls and club members marched in together, filling
the dance floor – and what was most gratifying was the fact that they
marched in to one of the original carnival marches (Narrhalla Marsch),
played
by the Günter Sander Band. Kudos to the club and to the band! Well, Günter
is an old hand at this game. Thanks guys!
Thanks
also to the "Bürgermeister of Loondorf", Hubert Adebar, for his humorous and
enlightening introduction to the event.
There
were not as many costumes as I had anticipated, but those that were present
and the many uniforms of the members created a very colourful atmosphere.
The
"Einmarsch" of some of the founders of the society and their recognition
provided more insight into the history of this organization and achievements
in the past. Entertainment was provided by the "Funkengarde"- the
girl-guard, mentioned above – who demonstrated remarkable expertise and was
greatly appreciated, judging by the applause of the audience.
Coupled
with the expertise of the band – concerning the proper tunes for carnival
events – it was an enjoyable evening – but not the end of it for me, since I
still had to visit the K.G. Hansa, Brampton, and its annual costume ball at
the Hansa Haus. And a full house it was, I might add!
The
first thing I noticed when I entered the hall were the many golden wigs and
the innovative costumes created by Angelika Kaltz for the members of the
club. She has been doing this for many, many years and the costume balls
wouldn’t be the same without her expertise and innovative creativity.
The next thing of course was the unequalled sound of the
Mississauga Express, who played almost non-stop and made sure that the dance
floor was always full. The band alone almost always guarantees a full house.
Real
good costumes were really scarce, so it was relatively easy for the judges
to find winners.
One
of them was a "Jockey" – who had a devil with him. However, he was a real
jockey and confided that he rides about ten horses every morning to exercise
them at the track. Not much of a costume, if you ask me, more like a
uniform!
Now it is over, again…
…this carnival - or Mardi Gras - season – however you want to call it.
One of the last events – prior to the "Rosenmontagsball" was the costume ball for the children at the Danube Swabian Club on the Sunday afternoon preceding "Rosemonday".
About
35 children had shown up, some in very innovative costumes, to celebrate
this annual event. Their proud grandparents who seemed to enjoy the event
even more than the children themselves had accompanied many of the
youngsters.
All
sorts of creative games and crafts had been provided for the kids while they
waited for the official part of the "Kindermaskenball".
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As they sat around the dance floor in a circle each child
was interviewed as to what sort of costume they were wearing or what they
thought it represented. Some of the answers were hilarious.
Rosenmontag
The
"Rosemonday" celebrations at the Danube-Swabian Club gave revellers a chance
to end the season with a bang and a lot of fanfare – provided by the
fantastic sounds of the Harmonie Show Band and its brass section.
There
was even a sort of "Einmarsch" of the visiting carnivalists and a rare
opportunity to let one’s hair down again.
Thanks go out to the "Treue Husaren, Mississauga" who also send a delegation to this event. Echo Germanica also sent a delegation of six members of their team.
Three
of them were the "Children" – life-size puppets that elicited a great deal
of humorous response from the other guests, especially when Sybille tried to
feed them slices of sugar bread which they apparently appreciated very much.
There were no leftovers.
Benno
Mattes, once crowned as mock Prince Carnival on a previous Rosemonday event,
with a huge drum borrowed from the band, led the guests in a "Polonaise"
through the premises. Always appreciated by the revellers and great fun –
nearly everyone was on their feet.
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One of the ladies present wore a bikini costume that could
be viewed from front and back and with the sunglasses and the straw hat you
almost had to look twice to see the real person. The event was well attended
and there weren’t too many empty chairs at the various tables. It shows that
every year these festivities draw a bigger crowd.
Valentine’s Day…
…at
the Danube-Swabian Club with the Henry Vogel Trio from Kitchener was an
unmitigated success. The entertainment provided by Ulli Jeschke from the
German Radio took the audience back to Roman times – as the God "Lupercus",
complete with the required toga – in order to explain the origins of
Valentine’s Day. Apparently the old romans celebrated this god at a
festivity they called "Lupercalia" or the feasts of Lupercus as parts of the
rites of Spring. Later the Christian church took over this holiday and named
it after one of their saints – St. Valentine. They also moved it up a bit to
February 14th. Why, no one knows for sure. Valentine’s Day is one
of our oldest and most mysterious holidays.
A take-off on the popular TV show where the wives guess what their husbands would do or say to a given situation was hilarious and very well received.
Needless to mention that there were over 400 people present
that evening – but I’ll mention it anyway. Good food and a lot of dancing
completed this delightful evening.
Trachtenfest
Unfortunately
I arrived at the Danube Swabian club after this entertainment had already
taken place, since I had paid a previous visit that evening to the Loreley
Club in Oshawa, where the "Black Forest Dancers" were celebrating their
annual Trachtenfest. As its president, Annemarie Pflanzer, explained they
are one of the "Untergruppen" of the club since 1994. Others are the Youth
Dancers, the Rifle Association, Ladies’ Auxiliary, Carnival Society, Loreley
Singers, Heimat Singers, Soccer group and the German language school. Quite
an active club!
Their
mandate: To promote German cultural traditions, music and customs and to
provide a place for fellowship, relaxation, recreation and "Gemütlichkeit".
The Golden Keys from Kitchener did their usual fabulous job of keeping the
dance floor filled with dancers. A fun evening, too bad that I couldn’t stay
longer. By the way, if you are interested in joining the Black Forest
Dancers, call Annemarie Pflanzer at 905-697-8945.
As always,
Dick Altermann
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