German Minorities--Sorb/Wend Customs


Figure 1.--There is a Sorb tradition of thanking the birds. A legend provides that children who feed birds during the winter are rewarded with candy. The Sorb children here are wearing traditional dress for a symbolic wedding. They celebraste the "Bird's Marriage" in Panschwitz.

Both protestant and catholic Sorbs have kept their costumes and language, although there were efforts to Germanize them. The mainstay of Sorb culture has been the peasantry. The Sorbs are in fact famous for their customs. Eastern is a particularly important holiday for the Sorbs. One of the best known Sorb customs is brightly colored Easter eggs. There is also a tradition of thanking the birds. A legend provides that children who feed birds during the winter are rewarded with candy (figure 1). Men go on rides on horseback wearing black suits and high-top (cylinder) hats. There are many waterways, lakes and ponds in the swapy area where the Sorbs live. Parents warned the children of the "Wõdñy Muz" the Water Man who lurked at the water waiting there to pull unsuspecting victims down to his watery domain. There is Sorbian folk dancing and music performed in brightly colored costumes.






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Created: 3:37 AM 2/6/2007
Last updated: 3:37 AM 2/6/2007