Thank you so much for sharing this delightful story, Brigitte. Too bad not all of us can understand Schwowisch, for a lot of the humour and charm gets lost in translation. Here is my translation: During the Easter holiday, we children would always visit our godfathers and godmothers to collect our gifts. If we had been fortunate enough at the time of our baptism, our parents would have been generous in choosing numerous godfathers and godmothers for us. If that was the case, it paid off when it was time to gather the gifts. I was very fortunate in this respect. I was allowed to visit twelve locations on this occasion. Considering that the godfathers and godmothers were spread all over the village, one can appreciate that I was occupied for a whole day. .My last station was always my grandmother's house, not that she was my godmother, but because she always wanted to give me a present. At that particular time, when it was time to gather my gifts, I was six years old. Back home, at Easter time, the grass was already long enough to make a nest for the Easter Bunny. I don't know to this day why my grandmother gave me a sleigh that Easter. > But I think she said that Waanersphatt (Uncle or Godfather Waaner?) was not > able to finish making it before. I would have to lie if I said that my > surprise at that time was greater than my joy. And whatever present I got, > I was determined never to leave it behind. Even though there was no snow > anywhere, I stowed my loot on top of the sleigh, took the rope in my hand > and pulled it homewards. All the good advice from grandmother to leave the > sleigh behind until it could be transported home on a wagon, was to no > avail. > I remember to this day that I had a gruelling struggle to pull the sleigh > on the dry surface of the road, from the Hauptgass (Main Street) to the > Spirtz (The Point), as the sleigh just did not want to slide. And there's > another thing I'm very certain of - that no other child ever had more > spectators during the gathering of the gifts than I did on that Easter > holiday! (By my friend Phillipp Sandles) > Happy Easter to all my Donauschwaben friends! Rose Vetter 2014-04-11 5:18 GMT-07:00 Brigitte Wolf <[email protected]>: > Dear Friends of the list > in a few days is Easter and there was in the Backa and Banat in different > traditions to celebrate this festival. In Sekitsch there was the custom of > "Together Trages". A funny story on Swabian dialect I send you. Maybe > someone can translate the language still speaks into English. It´s really > fun. > I wish happy eastern for all of you. > Brigitte Wolf, Greetings from Berlin, Germany > > "An Oschtre simmer als Kinn immer zu unsre Phatte un Goode zammetraa gang. > Wammer Glick g`hat hat, no ware et Leit bei de Kindtäf net geizich un han > far e ganze Stall voll Goode un Phatte g`sarricht. Sowas hat sich no später > beim Zammetraa ausgezahlt. > Ich selwer war in dere Beziehung zimmlich gut dran. Zwelf Plätz han ich > jedesmol angehn gedärft, wann`s soweit war un wammer bedenkt, daß de Phatte > un Goode iwwer`s ganz Dorf vezottelt ware, wird mer wisse, daß ich immer de > ganze Taa zu tun g`hat han. > Mei letschter Platz war immer et Großmodder, awwer net, weil se mei Good > war, sondern nerre, weil se mer halt a immer was schenke gewellt hat. > Ich war sellomol sechs Johr alt, wie`s an Oschtre widder mol Zammetraa > g`heeßt hat. An Oschtre war`s bei uns schun immer richtich grien in de > Natur, es Gras war schun arichhoch gewachst un mir han`s schun gut far em > Oschterhaas sei Nescht roppe kenne. > Warum mer mei Großmodder grad an denne Oschtre e Schlitte g`schenkt hat, > weeß ich heit nimmi. Ich menn awwer, daß se g`saat hätt, daß de > Waanersphatt ne net frieher fertich griet hätt. > Ich mißt halt lie, wann ich saa tät, daß mei Iwwerraschung domols greeßer > war as wie mei Freed. Un was ich mol g`hat han, des han ich a nimmi stehn > geloßt.Obwohl weit un breet ke Schnee zu siehn war, han ich mei > Zammetraakerwel uf de Schlitte g`stellt, han et Schnur in`d Hand genumm un > sin hemmezus gezoo. Alles gute Zuredde von de Großmodder, ich soll de > Schlitte doch stehn losse, bis er mit em Waa gebrung wird, hat nix genutzt. > Ich weeß heit nerre noch, daß ich mich uf demm truckene Bodde vun den > Haapgaß bis in`d Spitz merterlich anstrenge gemißt han, weil der Schlitte > net ritsche gewellt hat. Un noch etwas weeß ich ganz sicher, daß nämlich > niemols e Kind beim Zammetraa meh Zuschauer g`hat hat wie ich an selle > Oschtre. > By my friend Philipp Sandles > > > -- > [email protected] > Ortsgeschichte und Familien von Sekitsch / Village history and families > from Sekitsch: > http://www.sekitsch.de > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >