As everyone is waiting for spring in the northern hemisphere and winter becoming dreadful for some, there is one tradition that originated in Germany and has been passed down to America. It is celebrated every year around or on February the 2nd.
Having similarities to the “Mittelalter” traditional catholic holiday Candlemas, it also carries some resemblance to the pagan Festival “Imbolc” of the Celts.
Groundhog Day was first celebrated in the US as a Pennsylvania German custom around the 17th and 18th century.
But this tradition goes even further back into the roman time, when the roman legions tried conquering the north and brought this tradition to the “Teutons ” or Germans.
Back in Germany though, the Hedgehog was often used for this tradition as a “Wetter” prediction, if he sees his shadow the saying goes, six more weeks of bad weather, yet if the day is cloudy and shadow less, this little “Tier” takes it as a sign of spring is nearing. Similar customs are for instance June 27, the “Siebenschläfertag” or Seven Sleepers Day. The interesting part to this event in modern days is that no one is allowed to speak in English. Anyone who does so needs to pay a penalty, which is often a nickel or dime in a pot, positioned at the middle of the table. The Pennsylvania German dialect, also known as Pennsylvania Dutch, is the only language spoken at this event. However, most people might assume that this dialect is related to Dutch, but it is “Switzerdeutch”, a German dialect spoken in Switzerland, and used by the Amish.
Although that is not quite the case….
Historically, the majority of these palatine German – derived speakers were not Amish, but rather connected to the Lutheran and German Reformed Congregations.
The Amish are the only last speakers of this language, often giving the impression they were the only ones speaking this “dialekt” though most active Pennsylvania Dutch speakers today are members of conservative Anabaptist communities, they maintain reading knowledge of the high german of the bible and other religious texts used in church or their homes, yet very few are able to speak or understand the modern standard German “Sprache”.
So when traveling to this region it was interesting to note, that in fact as a standard german speaker , it was possible to understand a few “wörter”, however difficult to follow. So have you ever traveled to the Amish county? spoken with them? or sampled their Homemade food?
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Murmeltier: {Marmot or groundhog}
Mittel-alter: {Middle-ages}
Tier: {Animal}
Wetter: {Weather}
Sprache: {Language}
Dialekt : {Dialect}
Wörter: {Words}
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