Marktfrieden

Ok, so it's been over a month...I am slacking. So there really has been nothing to report on, or that I have documentation of, so that's my excuse. However, we did go last weekend to a big festival so I figured it was about time to put that up here. So the festival is Marktfrieden. They only have it once every 2 years, so Maren last year, and their nanny next year, will not experience this. I consider myself very lucky! So in order to understand this festival, one has to understand a little of Germany's government, past and present. So Germany is made up of states, and has districts much like our counties. We live in the "county" of Ditmarschen. It used to be much larger, but now it is just situated around Heide. So the Ditmarschens are very proud of being Ditmarschens and like to celebrate their heritage.

About 600 years ago, Germany was made up of small areas of free-lance farming communities, Ditmarschen being one of them. So the Dutch wanted this northern territory so the Dutch King sent his armies to take over the Northern lands of Germany. The Ditmarschens were farm people, knew nothing of war, nor did they have proper weapons. But they knew the land and they used that to their abilities. Before they had modern ways of water systems, this land was very marshy and the people who lived here knew their way in and out of the marshes that the Dutch armies did not know. During this war, the farmers had a lot of struggles with how to sell their crops since they couldn't have an open market like they were used to having. The market place here in Heide is the largest open market place that was made specifically to be a market place, still to this day. So the farmers made an agreement with the Dutch that every other day of the week they could fight, but on the weekend, I think it was, they would have free market, and be able to sell their goods. Eventually the farmers won, keeping their lands and one day becoming part of the Republic of Germany.

So now every 2 years they throw a big festival in the market place and drink lots of beer and eat lots of bratwurst and party hardy. It's a big Renaissance Festival. They even have a public bath tub that people really use.....they splashed us with their water as we passed...luckily it was up high enough that we saw nothing! Eww....

So there were TONS of people all dressed up. These were in old Lutheren evangelical robes. There is one of the "black knights" from Denmark in one picture.

There is a real baby in this thing. Awesome.

They hired real troubadours and groups to play at the festival. This particular group was my favorite. The big guy with the white beard was HILARIOUS!

The opening exercises had some fun little dances and things. Mimi's school danced and in these pictures you can see that Mimi and her friend Sophia provided the flute to it! It was very cute!

Mimi tried the ladder thing.

She didn't quite make it, but she got the highest out of everyone that tried while we were watching!

This was my favorite of the little shacks that were put up for food and shops and stuff. I thought it was cute.

This was the swimming pool they put up in the middle for the kids.

The Gutenberg press.

They showed how they made paper back then. It was really very interesting. I had no idea.

The had a whole petting farm there with farm animals and birds. It was cool. I thought this guy was cute.

Yes, that says Heide Beer Gardens. And no, just by going through there it doesn't lead to all the beer. There was beer everywhere. That was just ANOTHER place to get beer.

This was a ride that Mimi and I went on. It was a Viking ride. They would physically push the whole thing around letting the wires close around the pole, then let it go so that you spin around on the way down, much like we used to do on the swings as a child. Or maybe I still do that...

Mimi was a dead eye. It was crazy. She was really good.

What was she shooting do you ask?

That's right. Cute little teddy bears. I don't know what they did to deserve it but they just kept smiling!

At the end of Saturday they did a big production of the whole story. It was good, and very humorous.

The final bows. The lady in front was the main character. She was good.

So this was Marktfrieden. It was a lot of fun. There was a lot more. It was a whole weekend worth of festivities to get drunk for! So we only went on Saturday, but it was a good time. I ate the best bratwurst I have ever had in my life while I was there. That's not something I am likely to forget!