Annual German heritage celebration begins Saturday

Indianapolis’ German-American Klubhouse will be filled with laughter, traditional food and a cultural array of personalities as the first event in the German season of Karneval begins Saturday. \nThe 19th Annual Karneval will be held at the German-American Klubhouse this weekend in German Park in Indianapolis. It is one of many Karneval season events hosted by the American German Klub, Indiana German Heritage Society and the Turner Club.\nThe inaugural ball of Karneval will occur Saturday and will be celebrated in costume in the Klubhouse’s Edelweiss Ballroom. The event will begin at 6 p.m. and last until midnight, and includes a buffet dinner and music by Jay Fox and the Bavarian Showtime Band.\nAdmission is $30 per person with a $2 discount for prepaid reservations.\nThe various events hosted by the three organizations will last through the winter season. The events will range from a masked ball, a symposium, costume parties and annual meetings. \n“We have German heritage clubs all over the country,” said Giles R. Hoyt, a member of the Indiana German Heritage Society. “We have organizations in Canada and Detroit, Indianapolis and Cincinnati.” \nAll of these places hold their own types of celebrations, such as masquerade balls, Hoyt said. All the surrounding organizations in different locations pay homage by attending the events in the different cities, a practice referred to as fasching. \n“We have a carnival season like they did back in old time Germany with three major events every year,” said Dennis Jeske, president of thew Germania Society of Cincinnati. \nJeske said his local club plans to come and support the Karneval in Indianapolis. The organization in Cincinnati plans to bring 40 to 50 of its own members along with its prince, princess and dancing troop, he said.\n“There are always people who either have heritage or take up an interest in our club,” Jeske said. “This is usually how we determine who gets crowned, though it changes every year.” \nEach German Heritage Klubhouse has an “elferrat,” a board of 11 members who choose the yearly prince, who in turn chooses his princess, and oversees the activities of the year, Jeske said. Other boards include a traveling group of eight to 10 ladies who dance and entertain at \ndifferent venues. \nThe Germania Society of Cincinnati will host the Maskenball, or the masquerade ball, on Jan. 19. Indianapolis’ elected German royalty will attend the event at the organization’s Klubhaus in \nCincinnati.\nThe “kehrus,” or the final dance of the winter season, will take place on Feb. 9 also at the Germania Society Klubhaus in Cincinnati.\nGerman-Americans host this ball as a way of “spring cleaning” when winter is finally over and spring is on its way, Jeske said. \nThis celebration has been taking place for centuries in Germany as a way of combatting the brutal winter weather, he said.\nHarsh weather was not the only thing bringing down the peasants and citizens at the time, however, Jeske said.\n“Royalty always had their foot over the people,” he said. From this oppression, a tradition began that allowed common folk to stage a mockery of royalty, \nhe said.\nTo this day, many of the German cultural organizations continue to follow traditions that their “sister cities” have in different regions of Germany, Hoyt said.