The Church calendar lists June 29th as the Festival of St. Peter and St. Paul. In the Danube Swabian communities in Somogy County in Hungary this also became the occasion for a special dance and a kind of mini-fair for the children of the village where there were all kinds of rides, games and special baking, candies and sweet drinks. On several occasions in my childhood while growing up in Canada my parents and their friends would hold a special dance and set up a “fair” for us children. Like many of our other village customs and traditions it did not survive. When my parents spoke of the event it appeared to be the last chance for the young people and young married couples in the village to have a “good time” before the hard work of harvesting began. Like many of our festivals it was associated with the farming work cycle. The tradition in Somogy County came from Hessen but I was wondering if other members of the DVHH have any recollections or knowledge of this festival in their area of settlement and whether any of the organizations in North America still carry out this tradition in their calendar of events or did so in the past. I would be interested in hearing from you about your experiences or recollections as would others. Henry Fischer

On 2014-05-22, at 4:28 PM, Henry Fischer wrote: > The Church calendar lists June 29th as the Festival of St. Peter and St. Paul. In the Danube Swabian communities in Somogy County in Hungary this also became the occasion for a special dance and a kind of mini-fair for the children of the village where there were all kinds of rides, games and special baking, candies and sweet drinks. On several occasions in my childhood while growing up in Canada my parents and their friends would hold a special dance and set up a “fair” for us children. Like many of our other village customs and traditions it did not survive. When my parents spoke of the event it appeared to be the last chance for the young people and young married couples in the village to have a “good time” before the hard work of harvesting began. Like many of our festivals it was associated with the farming work cycle. The tradition in Somogy County came from Hessen but I was wondering if other members of the DVHH have any recollections or knowledge of this fes! tival in their area of settlement and whether any of the organizations in North America still carry out this tradition in their calendar of events or did so in the past. I would be interested in hearing from you about your experiences or recollections as would others. > > Henry Fischer > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to DONAUSCHWABEN-VILLAGES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message