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Getting to Gemütlichkeit: German History and Culture in Southeast Louisiana By Laura Westbrook
[ gemütlichkeit: a feeling of belonging and well-being; contentment with one's surroundings; enjoying the fellowship of others; mutual appreciation and understanding ] TRADITION AND CONTEMPORARY CULTURE Mr. Kleindienst is now retired, but names like Leidenheimer, Reising, Binder, and Haydel continue to dominate New Orleans baking. Smaller boutique bakeries continue to be owned and operated by bakers of German heritage, sometimes under French names. The connection between German baking and local heritage is made humorously, unambiguously clear by artist Bunny Matthews' decorations on the Leidenheimer's bakery trucks, on which locally-beloved cartoon characters Vic and Nat'ly proclaim, ""Sink ya teeth into a piece a New Orleans cultcha, a Leidenheimer po-boy!" The sister and brother team of Katherine and Robert "Sandy" Whann, the fourth generation of the Leidenheimer family to operate the bakery, plan to organize a Po-Boy Preservation Society to encourage the use of locally-made bread in commercial po-boys. Louisiana historian Earl Higgins, in his book, The Joy of Y'at Catholicism,8 describes the blending and blurring of cultural boundaries where food is concerned this way. Longtime resident Bill Rittenberg, as quoted by the columnist Angus Lind, says, "That's the irony. The French have never made French bread. The Germans made it." (And now, a Vietnamese bakery in his neighborhood makes bread that is very similar.) 9 Doubtless many residents of French descent may have their own stories about their long heritage of bread-baking in Louisiana. Other German names strongly associated with everyday baked goods, and childhood memories, are Elmer and Hubig. Though devastated by Hurricane Katrina, after which its Bywater bakery in Orleans Parish was forced to close for 16 months, Elmer's Fine Foods has recovered and is still going strong. Today, Alan, Stephen and Paul Elmer are the fifth generation of the family to run the bakery. Their candies are sold at most drugstore checkout counters, and the name of its signature snack, "CheeWees," has become synonymous locally with any bagged chip-type snack. The Simon Hubig Pie Company remains extremely popular as well; in fact, more than one pie fan sports "Savory Simon," the Hubig logo, as a tattoo! The company proudly displays their photos on its website. Their Faubourg Marigny bakery was less affected by the storms, and employees handed out pies to locals and rescue workers from their familiar red and white pie trucks.10 In addition to daily fare, German holiday food traditions remain strong. Holidays, of course, combine special foods with deeper customs that connect us to family, community, and homeland. The Advent season, which begins the first Sunday after November 26th, marks the arrival of Christmas. The Adentskranz (Advent Wreath) and Adventskalender (Advent calendar) decorate German homes during this time. The popularity of the Advent wreath spread throughout Germany after World War I, and remains important there and with Germans in America. The Advent calendar was first documented in 1851, but the custom may be older than that. Mrs. Frieda Arwe makes the wreaths for some of the community holiday events, but notes that anyone can begin with commercially available greenery wreaths and can make a German-style Advent wreath. The Advent wreath is placed on a flat surface and consists of a bough of greenery formed into a circle, around which are placed four candles. A fifth candle, larger than the others and white, is placed in the center. Traditionally, the wreath is decorated with cones of fir and pine, small red mushrooms, and red and/or yellow ribbons. On each Sunday in Advent one of the four candles on the wreath is lit so that on the first Sunday, one candle is lit, on the second Sunday that one plus another is lit, and so on. The first Sunday in Advent, Grüner Sonnag (green Sunday), takes its name from the green Advent wreath. The second Sunday is called Kupferner Sonnag (copper Sunday); the third, Silberer Sonnag (silver Sunday); and the final Sunday is Goldener Sonnag (golden Sunday). On Christmas Day, the large center candle is lit. Decorated but candle-less wreaths are hung in private homes and public places. The Adventskalender may take the form of a handcrafted box with small doors that open to reveal a small treat and/or a biblical verse each day leading up to Christmas, or it may be a "fancy" version purchased in a store. This is a way for children to mark the days until Christmas. Advent time is also the time for community Christmas parties at the German American Community Center and at the Deutsches Haus. Both feature holiday foods and live music performed by community members in the German language. A highlight of the Deutsches Haus party is the appearance of "a more authentic" version of St. Nicholas rather than the Dutch-American Santa Claus popularized by Clement Moore.In German tradition, Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day is the height of the season. This evening is called der Heilige Abend (the Holy Evening), and is the time that the tree may first be brought into the home and decorated. In America, Germans must balance the desire for a traditional Christmas with the demands of American holiday-making. This is a time when German families talk about the importance of this night, commemorating the night the Christ child was born. In German custom the belief is that it is the Christkindl (Christ Child) who delivers gifts as he himself received them on the evening of his birth. The custom of the Christmas tree may have begun in Germany, was certainly prevalent there for centuries, and was popularized in Europe and the United States beginning in 1841 by those who admired illustrations of trees decorated for the children of Queen Victoria and the Saxon Duke Albert, Prince Consort of the United Kingdom, who was from the area now designated as Bavaria. Today's German Christmas trees are decorated with a mixture of store-bought and traditional ornaments-stars woven of straw, decorations of foil or glass, apples, nuts wrapped in gold foil, pastries in the shape of rings and Lebkuchen (spicy ginger biscuits), decorations of candy or marzipan, carved or crocheted angels, cones of fir or pine, candles or electric lights. Louisiana Germans report that, if candles are used, they only are lit on Christmas Eve and afterward the electric lights are used. Presents may be placed under the tree or on a nearby table for the purpose called a Gabentisch. When the adults have the tree decorated and lit, they ring a little bell to let the children know that it is time to see the tree. Often songs are sung before the children receive their presents. The exchange of gifts is called die Bescherung. The tradition of the "Christmas pickle" is becoming popular with some non-Germans as well. This is the custom in which the adults hang a pickle-shaped ornament, usually made of glass, on the tree on Christmas Eve after the young family members have gone to sleep. The child who finds the pickle the next morning trades it in to the adults for a special small prize. There are a few people who still know how to make the straw stars and for several years St. Matthew's Church operated a Christmas bazaar at which these locally handmade items and others were sold. There is no menu for Heilige Abend or Christmas Day that is common to all Germans in Louisiana. Some prefer carp, herring salad, and Louisiana seafood, possibly carrying on an old Catholic custom of refraining from meat on Christmas. Many others prefer to serve goose as a Christmas main dish whenever they can (with turkey an acceptable substitute if necessary), or pork roast; either main course will likely be accompanied by red or white cabbage, Spätzle (little dumplings) and sauerkraut. Special desserts may be the highlight of the holiday menu. The Christmas Stollen is a dense, aromatic, bread-like fruitcake referred to in its various regional formulations as Dresdner Stollen, Weihnachtsstollen or Christstollen. The shape of the bread is thought to represent the shape of the swaddled baby Jesus, but was thought by miners to resemble the entrance to the mines (literally stollen), and over time the cake was commonly renamed so that the original name, Striezel, is all but forgotten. Several women who are active in South Louisiana's German community make Stollen as a holiday specialty and a prized gift. Other special foods of the season include marzipan cookies, der Lebkuchen; various other cookies and pastries; apples and apple butter; Gluehwein ("glow wine" or "glowing wine"), a spiced mulled wine, usually red; and spicy mulled cider. Each year at New Orleans' Jean Lafitte National Parks facility on Decatur Street, Ingrid Schleh and Frieda Arwe demonstrate techniques for making the marzipan cookies. The twelfth and last day of the Christmas season is Heilige Drei Könige, or Drei König Tag, the Feast of the Three Kings, elsewhere called Epiphany. This is not a gift-giving day. In Germany, the custom is that, unnamed and unseen, "three kings" visit homes and businesses, leaving a chalk sign that they had been there. In America this is a day for community visiting as opposed to the family emphasis during Heilige Abend and Christmas Day. One family's traditions are described by Adrian Juttner; The Christmas season is most often mentioned in interviews and articles about German holiday customs, but other less well-known seasonal customs are also observed in Louisiana. The medieval custom of heralding the beginning of spring, Maifest ("May Day" in other cultures, though Maifest is not always celebrated on May 1st as is May Day), is spreading in popularity across the United States. This custom has its roots in pre-Christian agricultural rites entreating fertility for crops, livestock, and the human population. In Germany this is an occasion for planting, but as respondents point out, in Louisiana May is late for first planting, so this aspect has been dropped or has become merely ceremonial. In Germany, the Maypole or Maibaum artistically documents the various trades that are practiced in each town, and they are prominently displayed as expressions of community pride for the entire month or longer. The Maibaum and the winding, ribbon-braiding dance around it symbolize the rekindled hope and energy of spring. This is also a time to re-connect with neighbors, to dance, sing, and drink outdoors after the cold winter. Here in south Louisiana, the German American Cultural Community Center in Gretna has an outdoor Maifest with music and food, though the Maibaum is only up during the festivities. Maifest, now also celebrated as Volksfest (the people's festival), has been celebrated in Louisiana for decades, and visitors to the grounds of the German American Cultural Center or the Deutsches Haus can enjoy the camaraderie of the celebrants and partake of the varied sausages, pastries, and beers on offer, as well as the breads, kraut and cabbage, and special large pretzels. Frieda Arwe remembers the Maifests of her childhood in the Frankfurt area: In Louisiana, the decorations on the Maibaum are usually a wreath of spring flowers at the top of the pole, with colorful streamers affixed to the center. In decades past, there have been dances at public events and also in schools; more recent events may feature the May dance but this is not performed with regularity anymore. Several people who participated in interviews expressed the desire to revive the dance and, since it has not had time to fall out of memory or direct experience, this is entirely possible. The traditional Maibaum dance begins with each dancer holding the end of a ribbon, so that they form a circle of dancers around the pole and the ribbons are fairly taut. Usually one dancer is male, the next female, and so on, and there is an even number of dancers. The dancers alternate facing clockwise and counterclockwise. Each dancer moves in the direction he or she faces, passing one person on the right, the next on the left, and so on. The greatest challenge is toward the end of the dance when ribbons shorten; outside dancers must lift their ribbons in order for inside dancers to pass beneath them, then the inside dancers are on the outside and must repeat the action until the ribbons become too short to work with and the music ends. At this point the ribbons form a braid around the Maibaum, decorating it for the day or until another dance. Sometimes the dancers all turn and then unwind the ribbons using the same technique. Today only the Cultural Center has a Maibaum, and its vestigial ribbons are purely ornamental, but this may change. Gail Perry, now of St. Tammany Parish, recalls Maifests of her New Orleans childhood: Foods associated with Maifest are hearty whole-grain breads, ham, cheeses, mustards, pickles, and baked goods. Beverages include Maibock (May beer) and Maiwein, a white wine flavored with Waldmeister (sweet woodruff). Waldmeister grows wild in Germany but the wild American version is not palatable. It can be grown in containers here, though, and the young spring sprigs used to flavor the distinctive special-occasion wine. A group of local cooks, none of whom rely on written recipes for familiar dishes, have reviewed the following recipe (compiled from notes by the author) and agree that it will produce a fine Maiwein. Place in a bowl or pitcher: 11/2 cup powdered sugar 1 bottle of Mosel, Saar-Ruwer, or similar German dry white wine 1 cup brandy Cover the mixture for 30 minutes, but not longer. Remove the sweet woodruff. Stir and pour over a block of ice placed in a large punch bowl. Add: 3 bottles of Mosel, Saar-Ruwer, or similar German dry white wine 1 quart carbonated water, or German sparkling wine Decorate the Maiwein, or May Punch, with thinly sliced oranges, sticks of pineapple, and sprigs of sweet woodruff. Oktoberfest is not, as anthropologists define it, a folk festival since its modern origins are clearly known, and it has its roots in the celebration of an elite event, a wedding among Bavarian royalty. However, among German immigrants to other countries where it is celebrated, Oktoberfest serves to bring together people of German descent who maintain their German celebrations, language, and other customs. The event dates to 1810, when citizens of Munich were invited to celebrate the royal wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The public festival honoring the newlyweds included horse races, games, and foods. The first agricultural show presenting Bavarian food products was added the following year, and in 1819 the city of Munich became the official organizer of the event. Today in Germany, at noon on September 17, the lord mayor of Munich cracks the first barrel of Oktoberfest beer with a traditional announcement of "O'zapft is!" ("The beer is tapped!"), signifying the opening of the city's Oktoberfest celebration. Over the years, carousels and other midway rides have replaced horse races, but the largest attractions are the foods and the Biergartens (outdoor cafés arranged for visiting). More than 150 Oktoberfest events are held throughout the United States in cities and towns where German culture, food and beverages are celebrated. This two-week festival is held annually during late September and early October. With some six million people attending the Bavarian event every year, and millions of others celebrating all over the world, it is easily the world's largest fair. Traditionally, the event takes place during the 16 days up to and including the first Sunday in October. In Louisiana, Oktoberfest celebrations open with a ceremonial keg-tapping, modeled after that in Munich, by a person of honor in the German community or by locals enacting ceremonial roles as Ludwig and Therese. A special Oktoberfest beer, slightly darker and stronger, is brewed for the occasion. Visitors also consume large quantities of traditional hearty foods such as sausages of various kinds, Hendl (chicken), Käsespätzle (cheese noodles), cabbage rolls, several recipes of potato salad, sauerkraut, and special large home-made pretzels similar to those served at Maifest. The German-American Cultural Center sponsors a "German village" at the October Gretna Heritage Festival, and the Deutsches Haus's Oktoberfest lasts five weekends and is so popular that visitors wait in lines around the block to enter, and may have trouble finding room on the crowded dance floor to dance to the live German music played by local musicians. Numerous participants wear Alpine hats, Lederhosen, Bundhosen (leather or cloth breeches), short embroidered Miesbacher jackets, dirndl dresses, and some serve refreshments in peasant garb. The event primarily features a Biergarten where members and visitors can sing together, and enjoy foods, drinks, and gemütlichkeit (a sense of belonging, cheerful acceptance, or peaceful quality time) while listening to the music. Music German poetry, theatre, and, above all, music have a long history in New Orleans. German children grow up listening to the music that, in America, is dubbed "classical," and generally not considered to be of interest to children, and so today's Germans sing arias along with folk tunes, much as early New Orleanians of all cultures once did. In November of 1866, the German National Theatre was established at the corner of Baronne and Perdido streets, where Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (1868) and Beethoven's Fidelio (1870) were among the first large-scale German-language productions. In 1877 the Varieties Theatre on Canal Street, later known as the Grand Opera House, mounted Italian-language productions of Der Fliegende Holländer, Lohengrin, and Tannhäuser. During the holiday season of 1895, however, the city rhapsodized over Walter Damrosch's staging, in German, of three of Wagner's "Ring" operas (Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung), as well as Lohengrin, Tannhäuser, Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger, and Beethoven's Fidelio. The two largest early music publishers in the South, with which locals are still familiar, were Gruenwald and Werlein. These families, along with the Turnverein, sponsored numerous musical celebrations that featured both German and popular music. The Mäennerchor (men's choir) and the Damenchor (women's choir) date back to this period and are still very active today. The earliest forms of these clubs were singing societies that perpetuated traditional choral music, as well as both German and German-American culture, while providing gemüetlichkeit for new immigrants. These large groups sing regularly on Friday nights at the Deutsches Haus after meals and visiting. While the choir members go to sing upstairs and some of the other clubs go off to meeting rooms, still more members remain in the main gathering room to hear concerts, eat and drink, and visit. Karlheinz von Bargen, who sings with the Mäennerchor, explains that the music helps to maintain a feeling of connection to Germany and also solidifies ties among Louisiana's residents of German heritage: Many who participated in interviews echoed Mr. von Bargen's comments about the importance of enjoying music over striving for technical perfection, and of music's ability to elevate the quality of life through beauty and camaraderie. Damenchor president Gail Perry shares these sentiments and points out that pride in German cultural heritage does not conflict in any way with pride in being an American as well, an important concept stressed by many German Americans. Another musical custom with which all Germans in this area are familiar is the traditional Schnitzelbank. This musical form has been traced by historians to 18th-century Germany and also to Holland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and other central European countries. To call it a song, with the implication that its lyrics are unchanging, would be misleading. The Schnitzelbank is a singsong method of teaching basic German words and expressions to children in a humorous way. This is the association most often made among German Americans today, and non-German children, due to Steven Spielberg's televised cartoon series "Animaniacs!," which employs the form to teach its audience basic German, are becoming familiar with the form as well. However, the history of the Schnitzelbank extends beyond children's rhymes. Historically, the musical form has been used as the basis for social and political satire, much as the themes for some of the more local Mardi Gras krewes parody current events. In Germany today, "secret" Schnitzelbank societies gather for the pre-Lenten Karnival festivities, composing and performing versions of the song that lampoon current events, politicians, and other authority figures. The word Schnitzelbank translates literally as "a cutter's bench," but the musical form takes its name from a play on this word. The slang usage of the word "schnitzel" refers to a joke or to a person who is a "cut-up" or jokester, and "bank" as the bench, podium or stage on which the jokester performs. In today's Germany one can still find professional "Schnitzelbankers" who, for a fee, will write a Schnitzelbank song in the traditional form that addresses the contemporary issues specified by the patron. When the song is used in the most common way, as a guide to language development, it often accompanies a lesson that is drawn out or even carved on a wooden sign. The Deutsches Haus has one of these carved signs and some members have their own wooden, paper, or canvas versions, and occasionally on special events parents and grandparents will sing the song while pointing out the appropriate carvings and drawings to the children. Traditions Ripe for Revival There are several customs that have been maintained until recently; some were halted by Hurricane Katrina and others have slowly ebbed until decisions must be made about whether, and how, to bring them back while they are still part of the direct experience of community members. In this category, people interviewed for this project have mentioned the processions that occasionally precede Maifest; the Maipole dances as a regular annual event; the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas bazaar), including the craft workshops that led up to it; and Fasching (Carnival). The Maifest traditions have been described earlier in this essay. Following are some descriptions of the Weihnachtsmarkt and Fasching. Louisiana readers may be surprised to learn about Fasching as it is celebrated in Germany and by some Germans in this country. Frieda Arwe describes the holiday bazaar: Ingrid Schleh of Harahan agrees: The yearly Christmas bazaar was always held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I believe it started in the early seventies. (I remember driving home from the bazaar and listening to Nixon's "I am not a crook" speech.) When it was at the Mission, leading up to the bazaar we had weekly workshops making different straw stars and we used also colored aluminum foil. It was a small beginning; people really went for the cakes and cookies. We also had some German toys and different odds and ends. Everything was provided by the Friends of the German Seamen's Mission, with much help and support from the German Council and its members. The Christmas Bazaar became an annual event. From almost the beginning I was in charge of the cake table, which always made the most money. Most of the cakes and cookies were donated but we also bought some from a couple of German bakeries such as the Bonbonniere. The ladies were dressed in dirndls mostly [a traditional dress style with a fitted bodice, short sleeves, and gathered skirt]; lots of friends, neighbors and even strangers came to eat and buy, and it became very successful. I think everybody had a good time-surely I did-meeting many different people, eating the food, and gazing at the cakes! I like to say that the members of the choir, with Helga Neumann as director, and the board members were especially active in preparing the affair. Heinz Neumann was the host and tied everything together with his family, his wife Helga, daughter Karen, and sons Gunnar and Guenther. He usually addressed the crowd before the bazaar with a few words, and we all finished with the song "Kein schöner Land" [volksong, "No More Beautiful Land"] which we sang with great enthusiasm after a successful bazaar. Germans refer to the pre-Lenten Fastnacht or Karneval season as die närrische Saison ("the foolish season") or die fünfte Jahreszeit ("the fifth season"). Depending on the region, the Fasching season begins either January 7 (the day after Dreikönige) or on Elfter im Elften (the 11th day of the 11th month). In Germany organizations called Zünfte (guilds, similar to krewes) are arranged into members and royalty, and hold balls and parades until a big final event on Aschermittwoch (Ash Wednesday), when die Fastenzeit (Lent) begins. Many of Germany's Catholic regions celebrate Karneval, as do some Protestant areas in the northern and eastern parts of the country. The largest and most well known observations are those of Köln (Cologne), Mainz, München (Munich), and Rottweil; specific traditions and even dates vary according to local custom. The Bavarian Fasching culminates on Faschingsdienstag (Shrove Tuesday), as does Mardi Gras. New Orleanians of German heritage have observed Fasching in years past, along with Mardi Gras, but the future of this dual celebration is unclear for various reasons. Deutsches Haus member Stewart Eastman explains one reason: Another reason that the future of Fasching is in doubt is that the Deutsches Haus itself is in jeopardy. The Deutsches Haus membership of roughly 300 is apprehensive about a planned expansion to the LSU biomedical complex. As of this writing, towers are slated to be built on the spot occupied by the Haus and plans call for call for the closure of Galvez Street. Opinions differ on whether it would be possible to move the 80 year old building. A response issued by the newly-formed organization called "Save the Haus," headed by musician and Haus member Rocky Troxler, stipulates: "It is very important to know that we fully support and welcome the hospitals as a great asset to the city." Members and those who have enjoyed its activities are keeping a close watch on these developments., Clearly, Germans found ways to thrive amidst the cultural climate, the people, and the traditions they encountered in Louisiana during the days of earliest settlement and, though there have been tense times since, contemporary Germans arriving in Louisiana continue to find similar customs and an established community eager to help them to assimilate and also to retain their cultural heritage. Louisiana's German and German-American population is working to counter the forces that can erode the continuation of cultural practice-migration within families, demands on time, the challenges of interesting young people in traditional customs and arts, scattered population centers, development, even weather-but are organized enough to work toward this goal and have demonstrated interest in building on the New Populations project by documenting their own culture. Laura Westbrook is the Regional Folklorist at the University of New Orleans. This article was prepared as part of the New Populations Project. You can link to the website of the Louisiana Regional Folklife Program at UNO by clicking here. This website includes edited transcripts of interviews with some of those who provided information for this essay, and information about German cultural groups, businesses, and activities, in addition to traditional culture in the parishes of Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, and St. Tammany. Footnotes 2Ashkenazi, Elliott. The Business of Jews in Louisiana, 1840-1875. Tuscaloosa: U of Alabama P, 1988. p. 6. 3Fossier, Albert E. New Orleans: The Glamour Period, 1800-1840, a History of the Conflicts of Nationalities, Languages, Religion, Morals, Cultures, Law. New Orleans: Pelican, 1957. p 20. 4Berthoff, Rowland T. "Southern Attitudes toward Immigration, 1865-1914." Journal of Southern History 17 (1951): 42-49. p. 328-45. 5 Merrill, Ellen C. Germans of Louisiana. Gretna, LA: Pelican Press. 2005. 6Bischof, Güenter J. Letter to the Times-Picayune, March 30, 2007. 7"German New Orleans: Highlighting German Heritage in New Orleans." Greater New Orleans Educational Television Foundation. 2004. 8Higgins, Earl. The Joy of Y'at Catholicism. Gretna, Louisiana: Pelican Press. 2007. 9Lind, Angus. "Roamin' Catholics: New book celebrates the pervasiveness of 'Y'at Catholicism.'" In The Times- Picayune, Friday, June 22, 2007. 10Simon Hubig website. http://www.hubigs.com/portal.aspx?tabid=11 |
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