New Maibaum
Tuesday saw us attending our first Maibaum Fest (Maypole Festival). Nearly every town and village in Bavaria has a Maibaum, a vast usually stripey pole (in the Bavarian colours of course!) with its Pagan origins harking back to ancient times. They are quite hard to miss! They also serve as a kind of Bavarian Yellow Pages, with small emblems attached advertising the local businesses and services in the area. I have found myself studying them when I have needed various things (like a garage for example), they are probably more reliable and informative than my ridiculously stupid GPS in any event. The Small People also love them, and when visiting a new place, can be kept quiet for a good ten minutes while they try to guess what the signs are for!
Discussing how the job's to be done...
Then, when it’s time to retire the old Maibaum (they can stand for up to five years), it’s time to put a new one up, and have a great big party to celebrate! Occasionally new poles that are waiting to be put up are kidnapped by surrounding towns or villages, and held to ransom in return for beer and food!
It is still possible to find Maibaum Fests where the pole is pushed up into position by very strong men wielding other very large poles, but this is obviously strenuous on a very hot day, and can eat into valuable beer drinking time. So on this occasion they cheated slightly, and used a crane. I can’t say I blame them, and it was no less ceremonious because of this…
Going Up
Nearly There...
And Relax...
Once the new pole is up, it’s time for the May Dance. Not dissimilar to the Maypole Dances we have in the UK, however increasingly rare these might be. I have my lovely friend Gill to thank for this last photograph as we didn’t get to see this part. There are only so many hours of talking to adults, eating pretzels and watching poles being put up that The Small people can cope with understandably! I on the other hand could have quite happily spent the rest of the afternoon there – you could see that the party was only just beginning. Nevertheless it was great to see, and there’s always next year…!
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Hello! I just nominated you for a Sunshine Award (details on my blog). No obligation, obviously but just to let you know I really enjoy your blog!
Thank you very much Mary :)
Wow. I remember dancing round the maypole at primary school and getting all the ribbons knotted up. Btw, a close teenage friend of mine was call Maybaum (surname) and he was very tall and thin.
Poor Mr Maybaum (hahaha). I am jealous you danced around the maypole, I never got to do this, although I think our school used to do it…
It’s huge!!
We had a lot of maypole dancing a few years ago in our town, to coincide with our Tulip Parade. Lots of schools got involved. It doesn’t seem to have continued, although the parade is still on…today, in fact!
Isn’t it just?! Sad that these things seem to be disappearing in the UK. Were you taking part in the parade today?
Wow, I’ve never seen one going up before – and I’m sure that all the little boys in the crowd loved watching the crane anyway – Bob der Baumeister is very popular with the little boys at my kindergarten!
My little boy is the first one in the hat and the checked shirt. He can’t speak much German yet, but they had a good “chat” about the proceedings! :)
This is cool. We saw the Maibaum going up but they didn’t have the dancing bit – that must have been fun to watch.
Thanks Leanne! We didn’t see the dancing this year, but hopefully will next year when the Maibaum in our village gets replaced! :)
Looks like quite an enterprise putting one up.
Doesn’t it just! :)
Wow, had no idea it was such a strong tradition still. I think its sad its not so big here now as I used to love Maypole dancing at primary school.
I had no idea about the dancing until the other day either! Such a shame the UK doesn’t bother with many of these things anymore! :/
nope, never danced around a maypole. but that’s the best bit about popping over to your blog emma – i get to do something new every time! :)
That’s lovely Pia, thank you! :) x
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