The Danube Swabian Foundation of the U.S.A., Inc.
Die Donauschwaebische Stiftung der USA, Inc.
The Oma Abt Youth Heritage Award
9th year’s (2022) essay topic was:
What is one idea or tradition of the Donauschwaben that you are going to pass down to future generations?
OMA ABT YOUTH HERITAGE AWARD RESULTS 2022:
1st place: Ava Fabian Cleveland Donauschwaben 2nd place: Elinor R. Niemi United Donauschwaben of Milwaukee 3rd place: M Karina Thut Chicago Donauschwaben
Their Entries:
Ava Fabian Cleveland Donauschwaben
The Gift of Tradition: A Kirchweih Legacy
Donauschwaben traditions are far too rich to be categorized as just one piece of a whole. It is not just one aspect of heritage, but the heart of it. Each idea and each tradition encompasses all that it means to be a Schwob. Every part of the Donauschwaben way of life defines the richness of the community. A great tradition that I keep close to my heart is my family Kirchweih. Because each occurrence makes me feel the encompassing love of family and the depth of my heritage. I feel every piece of it filling my heart with joy. My family Kirchweih is based on the idea of togetherness and shared blood. It is also the celebration of the church. To paraphrase something I have heard in passing…“family is everything, they are God’s gift to you as you are to them.” And this mindset is heavily applied to our family kirchweih tradition. I am blessed to say that my family is filled with all shapes and sizes of Donauschwaben. And we pull little pieces of every tradition together to have our family Hőgyész Kirchweih. It’s supposed to be the 14th of September, and with so many members in our family, we usually congregate the weekend before or after. It depends which weekend has the nicer weather. It’s a good time of year where we can entice more family members to attend. In preparation, we meticulously tend the rosemary, starch our trachten underskirts, and fix a meal that will leave us with enough to invite the neighbors. It’s a grand affair that I look forward to every year to celebrate heritage as a family and enjoy the company of my loved ones. We do this all in honor of my Opapa Müller. Johann, or Hans as his friends called him. He grew up in the town of Hőgyész, Hungary just to the west of the Danube River. He celebrated Kirchweih each year with his family and his town. Surrounding the tense air of the Second World War, it was one great joy that he counted on. He learned to dance at his town’s Kirchweih, and is where he found immense joy within his tightly knit community. Unfortunately he was never able to bring his wife or daughters to the occasion as he settled in a new life in America. They still kept traditions of making bratwurst every year to keep for winter, tending the gardens and congregating with other Donauschwaben. My Opapa Müller was one of the early members of the Donauschwaben in Cleveland, Ohio. He helped to build part of the club we have today, Lenau Park, with the skills he brought from his brick laying profession. And after many years, Hans encouraged his eldest daughter, my grandmother Liz, to not let traditions of our heritage die off. With this, she started up our family Hőgyész Kirchweih about 18 years ago to mimic what used to be in the homeland. My Opapa wanted the generations after him to experience what he had lost but that must still live on. My Oma rang all family and friends nearby on the telephone, invited the neighbors, and anyone that would lend an ear for her to ask. My Opapa also invited families from his old hometown of Hőgyész that now lived in Canada to reminisce together of the old days. At the home he built himself, where the bricks were placed by hand, my Opapa and his daughter held a kirchweih to keep tradition alive. The Kirchweih began when I was a small child and occurs each year without fail, even though it becomes harder and harder to bring more family members together. Despite this, I still revel in the small einmarch that I do with my many cousins, carrying a banner for the town of Hőgyész. We tie ribbons on bouquets of rosemary, dance to folk music and indulge in delicious foods. The best is my Opapa’s special recipe for Lecsó (stew) or pogácsa (biscuits). I hope to carry on this tradition even as life becomes more and more to juggle. I want my younger cousins and any future generations of this family to experience the joy of the music and being together. The rich tastes of our ancestors’ recipes, the love we have for those around us, the euphoria of dancing, and the grounding from the deep rooted institution of the church. Whether or not traditions change and evolve, new faces come to light, or old ones fade away, it is important to keep the tradition alive to honor those that came before us. Even though my Opapa has passed on, I hope to make him proud every time I put on my tracht. I hope my Oma is able to feel that her father is still present every time she smells rosemary. And most of all, I hope that my little cousins that never met our Opapa may come to understand who paved the way for them. I hope that the coming generations will still feel the importance of learning to dance or singing songs of a home they have not experienced. The little things remind us of those we have lost and are a way to keep their memory alive.
Elinor R. Niemi United Donauschwaben of Milwaukee
One idea and concept that we have as Donauschwaben that I know will be passed down to the future Generation is the sense of Family that we have. My fellow Jugend Dancers are my second family they see me at my worst and my best and they are always the most supportive people. From a shoulder to cry on to an impromptu dance partner they are there. The people in my club outside of just the dance group are also family, these people have watched us grow up, they are supportive and always willing to help. We get together and clean, cook, and simply have a fun time. There is always a laugh to be had, even when we are doing the less enjoyable things like scrubbing, sweeping, or weeding. The sense of family however extends further than Milwaukee, why? I know that no matter where I end up in life, if there is a Donauschwaben group near, I will have a place to be. We have a bond through all our groups where we welcome each other with open arms, from reaching out to people from other cities who are living near us to join us at practice, to attending each other’s events. Landestreffen is always a fitting example of the sense of family we hold, we seek out our friends from other cities to share the same laughs and dances that we have with the people from our cities. We pick up our conversations like the last time we saw each other was last weekend, because that is what families do. I joined this group a bit older than most people did but I still felt this sense of family right away, I remember at the first Kinder practice I attended that the leaders and the other dancers were there and welcoming and I have never looked back. This is the feeling I know our younger generations will feel. The feeling of constantly being surrounded by family is an amazing one. These younger generations are already feeling this, and you can watch it, the littlest of littles always have people there, they are always being cared for by various Tantes, Onkels, Omas, and Opas. I love watching these younger generations grow with the ideas we are choosing to pass down because they are what is being passed down to us.
Karina Thut Chicago Donauschwaben
Growing up in the Saxon and Donauschwaben culture, it’s hard to choose just one idea or tradition to pass down. If I could, I would write about how I would pass down everything about it. From joining the dance groups, to the ethnic foods and baked goods that are made every day, to creating everlasting friendships. While all of that is extremely important to me, I think the most crucial trait that I will pass down to future generations is the strong work ethic and unrelenting courage that my grandparents and parents have taught me. It goes without saying that our ancestors have gone through extreme hardships in the past to give their families better lives than they did. They have gone through situations that we can’t even imagine, yet they persevered through the extreme government and societal persecution of their time. On top of all of this, they were still working every single day doing back-breaking work to provide for their families. They then were forced to leave their homeland and everything they knew with just the clothes on their backs, not knowing if they would have any place to go. When my parents and grandparents moved to the US, they had one suitcase that they put everything in and barely knew any English. They all had to find work, go to school, find a home, and create an entire new life. It was hard for them to assimilate culturally and become a part of normal American culture. On my mom’s side, my Opa was a carpenter. He specialized in fine furniture with carvings, which he continued doing when he moved to Chicago. My Oma worked in the same factory, but she did the staining and put the shellac coating on the furniture. When they moved here, she then worked at the Edelweiss restaurant as a cook for 17 years. Growing up, she had to mature very quickly, both of her parents died when she was very young, so she had to help take care of her five brothers. On my dad’s side, my Opa was a handyman. He helped butcher pigs, cut trees in the forest and bring them back to the village to make firewood. He would also help with building houses, and he even was a volunteer firefighter. My Oma worked in a textile factory where they made material for making carpets, all while raising five children and making sure that there was enough food on the table for everyone. They also used to run the movie theater in Michelsberg, Romania. Not to mention, as I bet most of our Opa’s did, they were both forced into joining the army for two years. My grandparents are the strongest and selfless people that I know, and I can only hope that I will become half as hardworking and courageous as they are. They never complain, they never take anything for granted, and they would do anything to keep their family healthy and happy. To this day, they are my biggest role models and I hope to pass down their work ethic and courage to future generations. Just like the Saxon community, the Donauschwaben community always stride together and always overcome even when faced with the most difficult of battles in life.
Other Entries:
Katrina Giannoni Chicago Donauschwaben
The art, music, language, dances, Trachten, and the people. These all make up the strong family we are fortunate enough to call our Schwob family. I cannot even begin to fathom what my life would be like without my Donauschwaben traditions and family. It makes me sad to even imagine a world where my children wouldn’t go to dance practice every Friday evening and travel to Landestreffen every Labor Day weekend. Going to club is my outlet. Being with my Schwob family helps me to destress in a judgment-free zone. One tradition especially stands out above the rest is the dances. The dances that have been passed down from generation to generation are so important. The dances we pass down to future generations aren’t just different dance moves and choreography that have been thrown together, they tell a story. Our dances tell the story of the hardships our families have gone through and how through it all they’ve prevailed. The traditions of the Donauschwaben community helped them through even the toughest of times. In addition to the dances, there’s often music containing lyrics. These lyrics hold much significance when it comes to our past and our future. Without the music and the dancing, our clubs wouldn’t be what they are today. One dance that stands out is the maipole dance we do. In Chicago we are the only club that performs the maipole dance for maifest and this is one of my favorite performances. The highlight of my year is getting to see the different clubs across the US showcase their dances at Landestreffen. Our clubs get to proudly represent where they come from and perform the dances that they’ve spent so much hard work on. All in all, our culture would not be what it is today without these aspects of our heritage – the music, Trachten, language, dances, and the people. In one of my past Oma Abt entries, I wrote about Kinder, Kirche, and Küche. This sums up what it means to be a Schwob. We start off as Kinder. As children who are just starting to learn what it means to be a part of something bigger, a part of the Donauschwaben family. We also learn about how important faith is. In Kirche, in church, we learn that we have our spiritual aspects to fall back on when we need them most. Then most importantly we learn about the food (LOL). We learn from our Oma’s how to make cookies, cakes, and strudels and we learn from our Opa’s how to be amateur craftsmen and make sausage. I’m so grateful for all that my Donauschwaben heritage has offered me throughout the years. It has helped me to stand taller, prouder, and more confident in what it means to be German and what it means to be a Schwob. My Donauschwaben traditions will be forever cherished in my heart, and I hope to one day pass on these traditions to my children. Thank you. Vielen dank.
Stephanie Mayer Chicago Donauschwaben
I am very fortunate to have two Omas that are actively involved in my life. With my parents being first generation Americans, the German traditions existed in their lives very prominently. The Donauschwaben traditions have been a part of my life since as long as I can remember. From attending German school to performing with the Kindergruppe, I was able to experience traditions first hand. These traditions have played such a large role in my life that I cannot imagine not having them in my future children’s lives. There are so many traditions that I plan to carry on in the future, but Kirchweih is the traditional gathering that I have enjoyed the most and I will be certain to celebrate for years to come. Wearing traditional dirndls and having the young men in their leiwls transports us to Germany where our ancestors used to celebrate. Decorating the hats and the strauss have become two of my most favorite parts of Kirchweih. We get to be with friends and spend time together while preparing for the celebration. Understanding these traditions now has been such a blessing because I feel I can connect to my ancestors on a deeper level. Kirchweih is known for bringing the people of a whole town to the church and being together as a community. We come together at our Donauschwaben hall and recreate the festival just as it was back in Germany. We march in with the straus, have the bidding for the straus and then dance and celebrate the new couple who has won the strauss. The bidding has become so creative over the years. Sometimes siblings try to out bid each other. It creates a fun and enjoyable environment for everyone. In the past several years we have had three separate marches for the three dance groups so that everyone can be involved. Our Kindergruppe starts us off, then the Jugendgruppe enjoys their march and bidding. We finally end with our adult group who invites all adults who have participated in Kirchweih in previous years to join. We are able to see generations of Donauschwaben members participating in the march. It makes my heart feel whole when I see an Oma and Opa marching together years after they met in our Donauschwaben hall. I plan to always attend our Kirchweih and keep this tradition alive with my future family. In conclusion, I have realized that keeping our German traditions alive is a necessary responsibility of mine. Without the younger generation staying involved, our Donauschwaben traditions will not survive. We need to be proactive in getting new members involved in our traditions and make sure that our existing members stay involved. I will stay involved in the Donauschwaben traditions by being an active Jugend member, as well as celebrating all the other traditions with my family throughout the year. Our Donauschwaben traditions are so unique, and I would never imagine my life without them.
Jack Duncan Los Angeles Danube Schwaben Dancegroup
My name is Jack Duncan, and I am a member of the Los Angeles Danube Schwaben Dancegroup. When I was much younger, I spent a lot of time at my Oma Resi’s (Theresia Seitz) house. If I was there in the morning, she would always make me breakfast. Sometimes it would be Gries Brei or crapes. But my favorite was Kase Palachinken. She said that she had learned to make it as a little girl from her Oma. She eventually taught me how to make it as well. Oma passed away in 2017 when my sister Ella was just five. I know she would have liked to have passed down the recipe to her in person but that wasn’t possible. So, in her place, I’ve taught Ella Oma’s recipe so the tradition can be passed along. I have a girl cousin, Kiki, who is just three and when she gets a bit bigger both Ella and I are going to teach her Oma’s recipe as well. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I decide to produce a video. Among the many lessons that Oma Resi taught me, making Kase Palachinken is one that I intend to pass on to the next generations. I hope you like it.
Jack wrote a “Video Script” with 15 scenes.