“Quacks” and billy goats

***image1***Sunday and Monday, Germans observe “Pfingsten,” or Pentecost. It’s a religious fest and Monday is an official holiday in Germany. Stores, banks and official institutions will be closed.

Pentecost comes from the Greek word “pentekoste,”which means 50th. Christians celebrate Pentecost, also called Whitsun, the 50th day after Easter, because they believe that’s when God sent down His Holy Spirit.

After receiving the Holy Spirit, the Apostles started spreading the new Gospel into the world. That’s why the fest is also to celebrate the foundation of church.

In Old Testament times, the fest had a character of a harvest fest and in late Judaism, Pentecost was the day to commemorate the foundation of the Israelites in the Sinai, 50 days after the exodus from under the Egyptian oppression.

Some areas in Germany observe specific Pentecostal customs. In Bavaria, people dress in the national costumes of their region, walk in processions to church and pray for a good harvest. In Franconia, horsemen perform the annual Pentecostal ride. Led by priests, they carry church banners and crosses to church.

In the KMC, the towns of Schmalenberg, Schopp and Queidersbach stick to some Pentecostal traditions.

In Schmalenberg, the boys and men cut branches from pines, birches and brooms and create three skirts, which the so-called “Quack” has to wear from his neck down during the parade through town. He also wears a hat made of thin rods. Sunday afternoon, children go from house to house and collect flowers which are tied to the hat as well. The men spend the night in a barn, watch the green costume and, from time to time, they go through town singing the traditional “Quack” song. Monday at 9 a.m., the parade with the “Quack” in his costume and children carrying colored Pentecost rods, go through Schmalenberg led by a colorful decorated horse. The children sell the collected flowers after the parade and go in houses to ask people for eggs, bacon and money. A village fest starts after the ride.

In Schopp, the Pentecostal ride through the village usually starts at 5 a.m. Monday.
In Queidersbach, the equestrian club will start its ride at 2 p.m; a grill fest follows at the local gun club.

The biggest traditional Pentecost event in the vicinity is the historic auction of a billy goat in Deidesheim every Tuesday after Pentecost. According to a document from 1404 by King Ruprecht, residents of Lambrecht – a neighboring town of Deidesheim – had the right to use the Deidesheim forests as pastureland. Contracts between the former monastery of Lambrecht and the town of Deidesheim mention that people in Lambrecht had to pay with a good-looking billy goat for the use of the forests. The youngest citizen of Lambrecht had to take the billy goat to Deidesheim and tie it to the town hall before sunrise the Tuesday after Pentecost. In the late afternoon, the billy goat was put up for auction to fill the town’s cash-box.

Throughout the years, there was a lot of arguing about the shape and the condition of the billy goat. In 1808, Napoleon even got involved and signed an edict saying the pasture rights would be granted for a “well-horned and capable billy goat.” Between 1851 and 1857, the billy goats were not accepted. The case had to be taken to the Zweibrücken court, which decided that in 1858, eight billy goats had to be delivered.
Today, it’s up to the most recently married couple to deliver the billy goat. Together with the Mayor of Lambrecht and other officials, they walk to the Deidesheim town hall. According to new regulations they don’t have to arrive before 10 a.m. Tuesday. Here, the Deidesheim city council, school children and groups in national costumes greet the Lambrecht group.

A fest with music, folk groups dancing, drinking and eating starts in the afternoon. The traditional auction is from 5:45 to 6 p.m. The prices paid for the billy goat reflect the people’s economic situation. In good years, people paid up to €4,500 for the billy-goat. Last year, €2,200 was paid for the goat.

Deidesheim is located on the German Wine Street between Bad Dürkheim and Neustadt.