Category: Traditions

Eating the Way our Ancestors Ate

Jan Ernest Smoler and Jan Kilian were contemporaries, although not always friendly ones. As editor of a newspaper in Bautzen, Smoler published negative letters sent from the Serbin colony leading to years of tension between Smoler and Kilian. Thirteen years before the immigration to Texas, in 1841, Smoler and a...

Jutrowna Woda – Osterwasser – Easter Water

Easter Water is an old folk custom with its roots in pre-Christian times when water was considered the symbol of life and fertility. The Easter custom developed into one designed for the young unmarried women of the community, who would gather together in the wee hours of Easter...

Folklore of the German-Wends in Texas

On the morning of December 16, 1854, the immigration authorities at Galveston went out to meet the Ben Nevis, an English sailing ship, which had arrived in the harbor. On board they examined the papers and the physical condition of the five hundred some Wends who had come...

Lost in a Wendish Land of Legends

An award-winning video presentation by the Cottbus High School class of Susann Pattoka. Produced during the 2011/2012 school year, this story follows a young man from Iowa by the name of Chuck as he visits Cottbus, and meets the high schoolers at the Cottbus Wendish Museum. He falls...

Wendish Easter Eggs

The Wends are Slavic-Germans who have four techniques of decorating eggs: Wax Batik, Embossed, Acid, and Scratch. The most commonly used technique in Texas is the Wax Batik. In this method, the wax design is applied to the egg with the tip of a goose feather cut into...

It Must Be The Noodles

It’s been quite a while since I’ve had time to think about our Wendish preoccupation with our heritage, our history and our specialness. In a previous column, I decided it had to be the noodles, because we are so proud of our yellow, egg-rich Wendish noodles (you can...

Wendish Noodle Recipe

Recipe One egg One half egg shell of water (about 3 tablespoons) One and one-half to two cups of flour Beat egg and water together. Add a sprinkle of salt and enough flour to form a stiff dough. Roll out thin on a pastry cloth. Let stand to...

Egg Decorating Woodcut-Art Print

Folklore and Festivals of the Wends

Birds’ Wedding (Ptači kwas •• Vogel Hochzeit) In the evening before January 25 children would place empty plates outside and the next morning would find the plates filled with candy or cookies supposedly left for them by the birds, who were said to be celebrating their wedding and...