Thank you Heinz, That is very, very interesting. I suppose they probably were making big bonfires at night or maybe just burning the fields, which would explain the reason why you could see better from the house located on the plain. Sue ----- Original Message ----- From: Heinz L. Zulauf <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, December 04, 2000 2:04 PM Subject: Re: [GERMAN-LIFE] Kerpner Kirmes > Sue, > > it's not an Oktoberfest. > In short words: every German town or city has (or has had) it's own "Kirmes" > (or Kirchweih or Kerb or similar). A translation could be "consecration of > the church". It's traditionally the highlight of all festivities of the year > and in most towns it's celebrated between september and november. There is > dancing, shooting, merry-go-rounds and so on. And a lot of beer, which used > to be a special brew for this festivity. > Your "Kerpner Kirmes" is just the Kirmes of a town called "Kerpn" (I would > assume it's "Kerpen", close to Koeln). > _________________________ > Heinz L. Zulauf > Flotowstrasse 9 > D-64287 Darmstadt > Germany > e-mail: [email protected] > > Visit my Private Homepage > "The Classical Music Site" > http://myweb.vector.ch/zulauf > _________________________ > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Sue Schafer" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Monday, December 04, 2000 10:44 PM > Subject: [GERMAN-LIFE] Kerpner Kirmes > > > > Since we are on the topic of German holidays, I wonder if anyone has heard > of a holiday called Kerpner Kirmes. In letters from German relatives > living in Wisconsin (dated 1880-98) there are references to a big party that > happens on Oct. 3rd after the corn has been "bushed" and the turnips are > finished. In the afternoon there is bird shooting and at night there is a > big dance. From one letter: "Can you call/dance the German Quadrille?". > There are letters saying "it is best to come to our house rather than [the > other cousins' house], because we live on the plain and they live in the > valley where you can't see anything" (but see what?). > > > > At any rate is Kerpner Kirmes some sort of dialect phrase for > Ocktoberfest? These folks were from the Cologne and Bonn areas. > > > > Thanks, > > Sue Schafer/Schaefer > > Seattle > > > >