Goldach Young Men’s Club May Celebration

The Goldach Young Men’s Club, the “Goldach Lads”, is celebrating its centenary this year. Congratulations! The beautiful spring weather motivated me to visit the May Festival and the Bandltanz around the Maypole with my camera once again after nine years.

It was also a good opportunity to wear my Lederhosen, which I rarely get to do. I was born and raised in Baden, so I’m a “newcomer” in Bavaria. The reason for moving to Bavaria back then was for work. In my new job, it was standard practice for managers to appear in “appropriate” attire at the joint visit to the Munich Oktoberfest – meaning Lederhosen with a shirt. For a long time, it felt like a carnival costume. In the meantime, Bavarian culture has rubbed off enough on my language and daily life that wearing Lederhosen no longer seems inappropriate to me.

Of course, this year a new generation of young men (lads) and women (Madln) performed the dance, as always in traditional costume. The men wear the white shirt and waistcoat of the Young Men’s Club; only the Lederhosen, stockings, and shoes differ. For the women, however, you see individual Dirndl dresses, which are kept in a classic style or with more modern, fashionable fabrics, patterns, and cuts.

The tradition of erecting Maypoles in Bavaria has its roots in pre-Christian spring and fertility rites, but over the centuries, it has been heavily influenced and further developed by Christian and regional customs. Today, it stands for community, local pride, and conviviality, and is an important part of Bavarian tradition.

The ribbon dance around the Maypole is a traditional folk dance where dancers artfully weave colourful ribbons, attached to the top of the Maypole, around its trunk. Before the performance begins, the blue and white ribbons previously attached to the Maypole must first be untangled and knotted to the trunk in the correct order so that the right pattern can be created later. Even during this work, the women display dance-like elements.

The ribbon dance is a colourful, joyful expression of community and zest for life, celebrating togetherness and tradition. A fundamental prerequisite for the dance and a good atmosphere among visitors is a traditional Bavarian brass band.

For the musicians, it’s a long day with many performances. Their elevated position on a farm trailer in front of a barn ensures good sound distribution across the entire square. Getting on and off is a bit more cumbersome. Drinks are simply handed up, but toilet breaks need to be well pre-planned and managed.

The young men’s associations from neighbouring communities visit each other’s celebrations on this day. On a decorated trailer, beer benches and tables provide the necessary seating for the passengers. The journey is then rather leisurely, pulled by an impressive Schlüter tractor (a Super 450?, which is also over 50 years old).

A proper pint of beer and a Steckerlfisch are part of the celebration. Steckerlfisch are a Bavarian speciality, where whole fish – usually mackerel, trout, or whitefish – are skewered (on a “Steckerl”) and grilled over an open wood fire or charcoal. The fish is gutted, seasoned (usually with salt, pepper, garlic, caraway, and parsley), and sometimes lightly marinated. It’s best enjoyed with a large pretzel.