Thursday 21 April 2011

Postcard #15: Bändertanz—Germany


Jorg sent me a vintage postcard shows Bavarian ribbon dance (Bändertanz). On the postcard, it can be seen the women wear Dirndl while the men wear Lederhosn (leather trousers). The man in the middle of the group holds a stick called Maibaum (in English known as "maypole") with one ribbon for each dancer attached. 

It is interesting to explore history of maypole that commonly comes in various European folk festivals, particularly on May Day. The tall wooden pole was primarily found in Germany and its neighboring areas. It has been speculated that it originally had some importance in the Germanic paganism but survived Christianisation, though losing any original meaning of it.

On the back of the postcard, Jorg stuck two stamps of Tagetes and 200 Jahre Oktoberfest. The Oktoberfest stamp is special because the Oktoberfest is the largest fair in the world running from late September to the first weekend in October in Munich, Germany. It is an important part of Bavarian culture. It is also considered as the world's biggest beer festival. The festival turned 200 in last October and was cemmomerated with this nice stamp. :)

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