POSTILLIONDer Rundbrief des Saskatchewan German Councils Volume 29, Issue 4

Winter 2014

Table of ContentsAus dem Büro/From the Office 03

Grüße von der Präsidentin 04

Greetings from the President 04

25th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall 06

When the Wall Came Tumbling Down... 07

SGC Recipe Corner: Paprikagulasch 08

SGC Library Corner 08

Mennonite Village celebrate 100-year-old Church building 09

Rolling Calendar of Events 10

Festival Of Trees 11

History of the Germans from Russia, part 19 12

News from SGC Member Groups

German Cultural Centre 13

Concordia Brass Band 13

German Canadian Society Harmonie 14

German Junior Folk Dancers 14

Kochlöffel & Nudelholz 15

German Heritage Society of Humboldt and District 15

Karnevalsgesellschaft Harmonie 16

Das Schulhaus 16

Concordia Junior Alpenrose Dancers 17

Volksliederchor Harmonie 17

Melville & District German Heritage Club 18

Concordia Alpenrose Schuhplattler Verein 18

Hansel and Gretel Preschool 19

Skat Club 19

Volksliederchor Concordia 20

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church 20

Saskatchewan German Council Inc. 510 Cynthia Street, Saskatoon, SK S7L 7K7

phone: 306-975-0845 fax: 306-242-8007 e-mail: office@saskgermancouncil.org website: www.saskgermancouncil.org

Cover image: Cultural Incent Smokers Fotolia_27853633_Subscription_XL

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The Postillion is a quarterly newsletter published by the Saskatchewan German Council Inc.

Submissions to: postillion@saskgermancouncil.orgDeadlines 2015: Autumn - October 6 Winter - December 1 Spring - March 9 Summer - June 29Inquieries to: Sabine Doebel-Atchison, Editor sabine@saskgermancouncil.orgArticles may be reprinted with permission.

Scherenschitt illustrations in this issue are taken from originals by Waltraude Stehwien, courtesy of the artist. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. © W. Stehwien

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Aus dem Büro From THe oFFICe SABINE DOEBEL-ATCHISON

The fall has been incredibly busy with planning and preparation for the Fall of the Berlin Wall event

that was held on November 9, but now everything is slowing down a bit as the year comes to an end.

The documentary that was shown at the German Cultural Centre for the Berlin Wall event was so well

received that some attendees had to stand! We would like to thank everyone that was involved in

making this event a great success!

Before the November 9 celebration took place, the 100th anniversary of Canada’s first national

internment commemorative project took place. The day was a bit cold but that did not stop people

from coming and supporting the project.

Once again, just a quick reminder that there are new advertising rates for the Postillion. They are

available from the SGC office upon request. Please contact us if you would like to advertise in our

newsletter. We are happy to help with any artwork required for your ad at no additional charge.

It is also time to mention that the SGC is still looking for a member group to host the 2015 Treffpunkt, if

your group is interested please contact the office for further information.

Wishing you Happy Holidays and a great start to the New Year from the office!

Der Herbst war unglaublich arbeitsreich mit der Planung und Vorbereitung für die Veranstaltung Der

Berliner Mauerfall, die am 9. November stattfand, jetzt wird es jedoch ruhiger da das Jahr zur Neige

geht. Der Dokumentarfilm die im German Cultural Centre für die Veranstaltung des Mauerfalls gezeigt

wurde, war so gut besucht, dass einige Besucher stehen mussten! Wir möchten allen danken, die dazu

beigetragen haben, dass die Veranstaltung so ein großer Erfolg geworden ist!

Bevor der Veranstaltung zum 9. November, fand der 100ste Jahrestag des ersten kanadischen

nationalen Internierungsprojekt des Erinnerns statt. Der Tag war etwas kalt, dies hielt jedoch die Leute

nicht ab teilzunehmen und ihre Unterstützung für das Projekt zu zeigen.

Wir möchten nochmals darauf hinweisen, dass es neue Preisraten für Werbeplätze im Postillion gibt.

Die Raten sind auf Anfrage vom SGC Büro erhältlich. Bitte kontaktieren Sie uns wenn Sie im Newsletter

Werbung schalten möchten. Wir helfen gerne mit jedwedem Design, dass Sie eventuell dafür

benötigen ohne Zusatzkosten.

Es ist auch wieder Zeit daran zu erinnern, dass das SGC noch immer nach einer Mitgliedsgruppe sucht,

die den 2015 Treffpunkt ausrichten möchte. Sollte ihre Gruppe daran Interesse haben, melden Sie sich

bei uns im Büro für nähere Informationen.

Wir wünschen Ihnen Frohe Festtage und einen guten Start ins neue Jahr!

Board of dIreCtorSPresident

Josephin Dick, Saskatoon

Vice President Katharina Ulbrich, Estevan

Past President Ilona Beck, Rouleau

Treasurer Rod Gellner, Regina

secretary, Ulrike Hecker, Saskatoon

directors Marita Bray, Regina

Janet Jost, ReginaDr. Michael Oelck, Saskatoon

Uwe Reinkens, Star CityAmanda Stehwien, Saskatoon

Dr. Michael Zimmermann, Regina

staff Sabine Doebel-Atchison,

Executive Director

Franziska Davies, Office & Program Assistant

Anastasiya Baranova, Immigrant Settlement Advisor

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It seems winter is now here to stay. As much

as I enjoy the beautiful sight, the roads are just

awful. But at least we will have white Christmas.

The last months were very busy for the

Saskatchewan German Council. On October

17th, Sabine and I were invited by the German

Heritage Society Humboldt & District for sup-

per and a fashion show to celebrate the SGC’s

30th Anniversary. Almost 200 people attended

this wonderful evening. Regretfully we were a

little late, since we were delayed in leaving Sas-

katoon, so we missed most of the Little Brass

Band’s music. On the bright side, we managed

to hear some, which we very much enjoyed.

After a superb dinner, we saw the fashion show

by a local store. They showed some amazing

pieces. Thanks to the Humboldt group for or-

ganizing this great event for SGC’s anniversary.

On October 28th we took part at the unveil-

ing of the commemorative plaque at the

Eaton site. During and after World War First,

about 8000 enemy aliens were interned by

the Canadian government. From 1914 to 1920

people, mostly men with Ukrainian or German

background were put in internment camps,

without being charged with an actual crime,

but just because they came from the Ukraine

or Germany, or other countries, Great Britain

and Canada were at war with. In some cases

even women and children were imprisoned.

The men were put to forced labor, often in the

new national parks, or for the railway. At the

Eaton site, now the site of the Railway Museum

here in Saskatoon, prisoners were only here

for about three weeks, and were later moved

east. Together with our Ukrainian friends we

unveiled a plaque to remember this injustice,

to help events like these never to be allowed

again. Next spring this temporary plaque will

be replaced by a permanent one. We will also

try to create an exhibit inside one of the build-

ings at the Eaton site, so visitors can learn more

about this difficult time.

This year we had a difficult choice to make,

either celebrate the 30th anniversary of the

SGC in a big event, or combine with the 25th

anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. We

did choose to combine the celebration of the

fall of the Berlin Wall and our 30th anniversary.

On November 9th, we invited the public to a

free movie. Just watching the movie about the

last 50 hours before the wall fell, was amazing.

And to be honest some old fears came to my

mind again. I remember vividly how anxious I

had been at that time, wishing for the events

to stay peaceful, which luckily they did. If you

are interested in watching the movie, you can

contact the office, and we will be happy to

lend it out. After the free movie we had invited

people to join us for a banquet and exhibition.

We had the honor of greeting the honorable

Minister of Education, Labor Relations, and

Workplace Safety Don Morgan, the honor-

able Minister of state Lynn Yellich, his worship

our mayor Don Atchison, Rob Norris former

Minister of Advanced Education, Employment

and Immigration, currently Vice-Chair of the

Public Sector Bargaining Committee, and Peter

England, former President of SaskCulture. Thank

you for coming to this event.

Last I would like to mention we have deco-

rated another Christmas tree at the Western

Development Museum Festival of Trees. This

year we choose the fairy tale “Sterntaler” (The

Star Talers). It is about a little girl who lost her

parents, but has such a good heart she gives

away all her possessions as well. Of course she

is rewarded in the fairy tale by the stars falling

down from the sky and turning into golden

coins. So our tree was full of golden ornaments,

angel hair and golden stars.

Have a merry Christmas, and all the best for the

coming year 2015!

Offensichtlich hat der Winter nun endgültig

Einzug gehalten. So sehr ich die weiße Pracht

genieße, die Straßen sind einfach schreicklich.

Immerhin werden wir sicher weiße Weih-

nachten haben.

Die letzten Monate waren für den SGC sehr

ereignissreich. Am 17. Oktober waren Sabine

und ich bei der German Heritage Society Hum-

boldt & District Gruppe zu einem Bankett und

einer Modeschau eingeladen, um das 30jährige

Jubiläum des SGCs zu feiern. Beinahe 200 Gäste

nahmen an dieser wunderbaren Veranstaltung

teil. Bedauerlicherweise kamen Sabine und

ich ein wenig zu spät und verpassten damit

einen Teil der Aufführung der Little Brass Band.

Immerhin konnten wir noch ein paar Lieder

genießen. Nach einem sehr guten Essen sahen

wir eine Modeschau, organisiert von einem

Lokalen Geschäft. Sie zeigten wirklich wunder-

bare Stücke. Vielen Dank and die Gruppe aus

Humboldt, dass sie diese großartige Verans-

taltung zum Jubiläum des SGC organiesiert

haben.

Am 28. Oktober nahmen wir an einer Enthül-

lung einer Gedenktafel bei Eaton teil. Während

und nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg wurden etwa

8000 feindliche Ausländer von der kanadischen

Regierung interniert. Von 1914 bis 1920 wur-

den Personen, meist Männer ukrainischer und

deutscher Herkunft, ohne eines Verbrechens

angeklagt zu sein, eingesperrt. Nur weil sie aus

der Ukraine, Deutschland oder aus anderen

Ländern kamen, mit denen Großbritanien, und

damit auch Kanada, im Kriegszustand waren.

In wenigen Fällen wurden sogar Frauen und

Kinder eingesperrt. Die Männer wurden zur

Zwangsarbeit verpflichtet. Meist für die neue

entstehenden Nationalparks, oder auch für die

Eisenbahn. Auf dem Gelände bei Eaton, dem

heutigen Eisenbahnmuseum bei Saskatoon,

waren die Gefangen nur etwa drei Wochen

lang, und wurden anschließend in den Osten

gebracht. Zusammen mit unseren ukrainischen

Freunden enthüllten wir eine Gedenktafel

GreeTInGs From THe PresIdenTGrüsse Von der PräsIdenTIn JOSEPHIN DICK

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um an diese Ungerechtigkeit zu erinnern,

damit Vorkommnisse wie diese nicht wieder

geschehen mögen. Im kommenden Frühling

soll anstelle der temporären eine permanete

Gedenktafel errichtet werden. Wir werden auch

versuchen im Museum selbst eine Ausstel-

lung zu diesem Thema aufzubauen, so dass

die Besucher mehr über diese schwierige Zeit

erfahren können.

In diesem Jahr mussten wir auch eine schwi-

erige Entscheidung treffen. Feiern wir das

30jährige Jubiläum des SGC, oder 25 Jahre

nach dem Fall der Berliner Mauer. Wir entschie-

den uns schließlich für eine Feier zum Jahrestag

des Falles der Mauer. Am 9. November luden

wir die Öffentlichkeit zu einer kostenlosen

Filmaufführung ein. Einfach die letzten 50

Stunden vor dem Fall der Mauer in diesem Film

noch einmal nachzuerleben, war erstaunlich.

Ich habe mich daran erinnert, welche Sorgen

ich mir damals machte, dass diese Ereignisse

friedlich blieben. Was dann ja auch zum Glück

eingetroffen war. Wenn Sie Interesse an diesem

Film haben, melden Sie sich bitte bei uns im

Büro. Wir leihen Ihnen diesen Film gerne aus.

Nach dem Film luden wir zu einem Banquett

und zu einer Ausstellung ein. Wir hatten die

Ehre Minister Don Morgan, Ministerin Lynn Yell-

ich, Bürgermeister Don Atchison, den ehema-

ligen Minister Rob Norris und den ehemaligen

Präsidenten von SaskCulture Peter England

begrüßen zu dürfen. Herzlichen Dank, dass Sie

uns mit Ihrer Anwesenheit geehrt haben.

Zuletzt möchte ich noch erwähnen, dass wir

auch in diesem Jahr einen Weihnachtsbaum

beim WDM zum Festival of Trees geschmückt

haben. Diesmal haben wir zum Thema das

Märchen „Sterntaler“ gewählt. Es handelt von

einem kleinen Mädchen, das nachdem es

beide Eltern verloren hatte, immer noch so

ein gutes Herz hatte, dass es alles verschenkte,

was es hatte. Natürlich wurde sie am Ende

des Märchens belohnt. Die Sterne am Himmel

verwandelten sich in goldene Taler und sie

lebte glücklich uns zufrieden bis ans Ende ihres

Lebens. Unser Baum war daher geschmückt

mit Engelshaar, vielen goldenen Sternen und

goldenen Chrisbaumkugeln.

Ich wünsche Ihnen allen ein frohes und geseg-

netes Weihnachtsfest und alles Gute für das

neue Jahr 2015.

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1. Josephin Dick addressing attendees of the November 9 celebration of the Fall of the Berlin Wall 2. Minister Don Morgan and Josephin Dick at the unveiling of the internment plaque 3. Celebration of the Fall of the Berlin Wall at the German Cultural C entre 4. Photo Ex-hibition “Local Time” by Stegan Koppelkamm 5. SGC’s Christmas tree at the Festival of Trees in Saskatoon

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SGC 30th AnniverSAry event

CelebrAtion of the 25th AnniverSAry of the fAll of the berlin WAll

SABINE DOEBEL-ATCHISON

November 9, 1989 marks a special date in the history of Germany. It was on this day that the Berlin Wall – a symbol of division between two conflicting ideologies – came down. The fall of the Berlin Wall paved the way for German Unity, which was formerly concluded on October 3, 1990.Demonstrations against the government and the system in East Germany began at the end of September and lasted until Novem-ber 1989. Erich Honecker, East Germany’s head of state, resigned on October 18, 1989. A new government prepared a law to lift the travel restrictions for East Germans. At a press conference in the early evening hours of November 9, 1989 a member of the new East German govern-ment made the announcement and was asked when the new regula-tions would come into effect. He answered: “As far as I know -- effec-tive immediately, without delay.” Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere. Over the following weeks, people chipped away parts of the wall. Twenty-five years later, we celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall as it led to the end of the Cold War and to Germany’s reunification. Lessons of this time period are those of diplomacy, cour-age, and conflict resolution, which are still valid in this day and time.

Pictures of the Berlin Wall supplied by Barbara Stehwien, reprinted with persmission.

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1. Banquet at the German Cultural Centre. 2. Children’s activity. 3. Showing of the documentary “When the Wall Came Tumbling Down... 50 Hours that Changed the World”. 4. Honourable Lynn Yellich addressing guests 5. Enjoying the menu and company.

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SGC 30th AnniverSAry event

When the WAll CAme tumblinG doWn... 50 hourS thAt ChAnGed the World

Following is a short summary on the documentary that was shown at the Fall of the Berlin Wall event:

Berlin, November 9th, 1989. Thousands of people break through the border checkpoints of the divided city. The “death strip” has lost its horror. East and West Berliners are dancing on the Wall and chip it away with hammers and chisels throughout the night. The most famous symbol of the Cold War is crumbling as the world watches on live television. It was a party on very ex-plosive ground. Behind the scenes, at all levels of power, frantic diplomatic and military maneuvers were taking place. The East German government and its ministries for national defense and state security; the headquarters of the Soviet forces in East Germany; the Allied forces in West Berlin and the gov-ernments in Moscow, London, Paris, Washington, as well as in Bonn - all were caught off-guard by the events that unfolded that day.

Using some never-before-seen footage, this compelling documentary shows what really happened during those perilous, pivotal hours. General Secre-tary Gorbachev and President Bush; the French and the British governments; Chancellor Kohl and General Secretary Krenz; foreign secretaries, ministers, and high-ranking officers from both sides (some heard speaking out for the first time), along with journalists such as NBC correspondent Tom Brokaw, describe what happened behind the scenes. This unfolding historical drama is counter-balanced by the celebration in the streets as Berliners from East and West tell of moving experiences - sometimes amusing, sometimes painful - that shaped their destiny. All perspectives are joined beautifully in this remarkable film de-tailing those 50 momentous hours that changed the world.

Thoroughly researched, beautifully crafted, this is one of the best documenta-ries on the fall of the Berlin Wall yet to emerge.

Article taken from: https://ecommerce.umass.edu/defa/film/5734

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Zutaten:

• 200gRindfleisch

• 200gSchweinefleisch

• Bratfett

• 3Zwiebeln(mittelgroß)

• 2EsslöffelMehl

• Salz

• Paprika

• 3/8LiterBrüheoderWasser

• 2bis3Tomaten

• 250gPaprika

Fleisch in Würfel schneiden und im Fett kräftig anbraten. Zwiebel klein hacken und unter das Fleisch mischen. Mehl mit Salz und Paprika vermischen und über die Mischung stäuben. Brühe oder Wasser zum kochen bringen, dann ¼ Liter langsam zum Fleisch geben. Tomaten häuten (kurz abbrühen um das Häuten zu erleichtern), dann würfeln. Paprika säubern und in Streifen schneiden. Beides zur Fleischmisc-hung hinzugeben. Dann mit der Restlichen Brühe ablöschen und zugedeckt fertig gar schmoren. Mit Paprika und Salz absch-mecken, wahlweise Sahne hinzugeben zum verfeinern.

Ingredients:

• 200gbeef

• 200gpork

• Butteroroil

• 3onions(middlesized)

• 2tbs.flour

• Salt

• Paprika

• 3/8literbrothorwater

• 2to3tomatoes

• 250gbellpeppers(red,orangeor yellow)

Cut the meat into cubes and sear in butter or oil. Dice onions and mix into meat. Com-bine flour, salt and paprika and sprinkle over meat mix. Boil the water or broth and slowly add ¼ liter to the meat. Peel tomatoes (blanch to make peeling easier) and cut into cubes. Clean the bell pepper and cut into strips. Add both to the meat mixture. Pour the rest of the broth or water over the meat mixture, cover with a lid and let it simmer until fully cooked. Add salt and paprika to taste. You might add some cream for a finer taste.

librAry Corner ANDREA MACLEOD

dAS Kreuz der Kinder

by: Peter Berling

German, 487 pages

Ten thousand teenagers and children left Germany and France to go on a crusade to the

holy land. Most of them didn’t make it that far and died on the way. Many end up as slaves in the orient.

The Emir of Mahdia calls together the survivors of the Children’s Crusade

of 1212. His goal is to compile chronicles about the crusades because Melusine, mother of his beloved son Karim was part of the crusades before entering the harem of the Emir.

But things turn out different than planned in a swirl of power interests and religious confusion.

Goethe!

DVD

100 min, Language German, Subtitles German

When the young Goethe fails his law exam, his father sends him to Wetzlar, where is helping the jurist Kestner. Soon, he meets Charlotte

Buff and falls in love. Charlotte returns his feel-ing. However, Kestner is asking Charlotte’s father for permission to marry her, who is very glad that his daughter will be taken care of.

While hesitant, Charlotte soon sees the point her

father makes, but she still doesn’t like to let go of Goethe. Meanwhile, Goethe helps Kestner with his marriage proposal unknowingly who the fiancé might be. At the engagement party the truth is reveal and Goethe greatly dismayed.

reCipe Corner ANDREA MACLEOD

PAPrIkAGulAsCHGulAsCH wITH Bell PePPers

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mennonite villAGe CelebrAte 100-yeAr-old ChurCh buidlinG

By Matthew Liebenberg mliebenberg@prairiepost.com

A gathering took place at the Mennonite Heritage Village in Swift Current on Aug. 17 to celebrate the 100-year-old Sommerfeld Church building.

The former Gouldtown Sommerfeld Church building was relocated to the Heritage Village in 2003, where it has become an integral fea-ture of this living museum site.

Quite a few people at the event have been in the building when it still stood at its original location in a farming community north of Herbert.

Tena Siemens came from Fiske, near Rosetown, to attend the celebration. She lived half a mile from the church at its former location.

“This church was in the country,” she told the Prairie Post. “In fact, my brothers owned the land and the church was right in the corner of my brothers’ quarter section and the cemetery is still there.”

She did not attend this church, but occasionally went there for a baptism, wedding or funeral. She recalled how she and other children shel-tered inside the building when it started to rain while they were walking home from school.

“We would go into the entrance,” she said. “The church was never locked. ... That’s the very inside as it was then.”

While the church interior is still the same, the seating arrangement during sermons was quite different in earlier years.

“A big difference was when we came in, the ladies and the children would all sit on the right hand side, and the men sat on the left,” she said. “Today was a little different.”

Herbert resident Susie Dyck also attended the celebration. Her father, Frank Dueck, was a minister at this church.

“My father was the minister there, and myself and my first husband got married in there, and we were baptized in there,” she said. “That was not our closest home church when I grew up, but that was where my father went to preach quite a bit and I had to come along with him for company.”

The building’s interior is still the same as then, but she remembers a different exterior. It was

always painted white on the outside instead of the present unpainted cedar siding.

“I remember us painting it,” she said. “We helped paint.”

Agathy Dyck, a long-time member of the Swift Current Mennonite Heritage Village Committee, spoke about the history of the building during the celebration. The simplicity of the building is the result of a practice from the 1700s in Prus-sia, when churches were built in a plain style during a time of religious intolerance.

Henry Thiessen was the song leader during the celebration and the group sang hymns in English and German. There was an opportunity for people to share their memories about the church and afterwards they enjoyed supper in the main building.

The church was built in 1914 and was used until 1974. There were no regular Sunday services in the building between 1974 and 2003.

According to Agatha Dyck the Mennonite Heritage Village in Swift Current was looking for homesteader buildings and requested the relocation of the church.

Former and current members of the church passed a majority vote in favour of donating the building to the Mennonite Heritage Village, but it was not a unanimous decision.

“There were a few members in that community who were not convinced it was the right move for the building,” she said. “It took it right out of the community.”

After the relocation the exterior was restored with new cedar shingles and siding, but there was no need for interior upgrades.

“Nothing was done on the inside,” she said. “The inside of the church is original.”

The building was an important acquisition for the Mennonite Heritage Village because a church was a central feature in a Mennonite community.

“It was always built in the middle of the villages and across the road from the church was the school,” she said. “They were both very much part of the social milieu of the day.”

The social activities in a community centred around the school and church buildings. Sun-day was a day of rest and people visited each other.

“If you didn’t get invited to somebody’s house for high tea on a Sunday somebody else would be invited to your house,” she said. “There was never hardly a household left without company on a Sunday, but every other day they worked from dawn until dusk.”

The house at the Mennonite Heritage Village was built in 1911 and the barn in 1915. These buildings were constructed by the settlers through house-raising bees.

“They’re all early homesteader buildings built with muscle power,” she said. “It’s almost unbelievable and I’m told that they did have pretty good distribution of labour. Some guys would be really good at doing windows, others would be really good at doing the doors. ... They worked together, helped each other out and got established.”

1. Agatha Dyck talks about the history of the Gouldtown Sommerfeld Mennonite Church. 2. The historic Sommerfeld Church in Swift Current. 3. Henry Thiessen leads the singing.

Article and pictures reprinted with permission and obtained from the Prarie Post.

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Rolling Calendar of Events

every WednesdaySkat at the German Cultural Centre in Saskatoon at 7 p.m.

every FrIdayClaSSICal ConneCtIon on CFCR 90.5 FM from 1-2 p.m. with Sigrid Kirmse

every sundaytreffpunkt deutSChland on CFCR 90.5 FM from 1-3 p.m.

Sunday BrunCh at the German Cultural Centre, Saskatoon, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

German Buffet at the German Cultural Centre, Saskatoon, 5:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.

deCemBer8 koChlöffel & nudelholz ClaSS Kochlöffel & Nudelholz - German Canadian Koch- und Backstudio Call 306-292-2117 or e-mail kochlöffelundnudelholz@gmail.com

15 koChlöffel & nudelholz ClaSS Kochlöffel & Nudelholz - German Canadian Koch- und Backstudio Call 306-292-2117 or e-mail kochlöffelundnudelholz@gmail.com

31 new yearS eve danCe German Cultural Centre Saskatoon Call 306-244-6869 for more information

JAnuAry 12 koChlöffel & nudelholz ClaSS Kochlöffel & Nudelholz - German Canadian Koch- und Backstudio Call 306-292-2117 or e-mail kochlöffelundnudelholz@gmail.com

28 open houSe and reGIStratIon Hansel and Gretel Preschool Call 306-651-0436 or visit www.hanselandgretelpreschool.ca

FeBruAry 9 koChlöffel & nudelholz ClaSS Kochlöffel & Nudelholz - German Canadian Koch- und Backstudio Call 306-292-2117 or e-mail kochlöffelundnudelholz@gmail.com

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SGC At the feStivAl of treeS

This year SGC once again had the opportunity to participate in the annual Festival of Trees event in Saskatoon at the Western Development Museum. The theme of this year’s event was a fair tale Christmas.

The idea behind the Festival of Trees is to come together as a community in the holi-day season to not only celebrate but also help in raising funds to support the Saska-toon City Hostpial Foundation.

It was decided that the Sterntaler fairy tale would be used in decoration the tree from SGC. Below is the story of the Brothers Grimm that SGC choose as a theme for the Christmas tree at the event.

The Star Thalers by the Brothers GrimmThere was once upon a time a little girl whose father and mother were dead, and she was so poor that she no longer had a room to live in, or bed to sleep in, and at last she had nothing else but the clothes she was wearing and a little bit of bread in her hand which some charitable soul had given her. She was good and pious, however. And as she was thus forsaken by all the world, she went forth into the open country, trusting in the good God.

Then a poor man met her, who said, “Ah, give me something to eat, I am so hungry.”

She handed him the whole of her piece of bread, and said, “May God bless you,” and went onwards.

Then came a child who moaned and said, “My head is so cold, give me something to cover it with.”

So she took off her hood and gave it to him. And when she had walked a little farther, she met another child who had no jacket and was frozen with cold. Then she gave it her own, and a little farther on one begged for a frock, and she gave away that also.

At length she got into a forest and it had already become dark, and there came yet another child, and asked for a shirt, and the good little girl thought to herself, “It is a dark night and no one sees you, you can very well give your shirt away,” and took it off, and gave away that also.

And as she so stood, and had not one single thing left, suddenly some stars from heaven fell down, and they were nothing else but hard smooth pieces of money, and although she had just given her shirt away, she had a new one which was of the very finest linen. Then she put the money into it, and was rich all the days of her life.

Die Sterntaler der Brüder GrimmEs war einmal ein kleines Mädchen, dem war Vater und Mutter gestor-ben, und es war so arm, daß es kein Kämmerchen mehr hatte, darin zu wohnen, und kein Bettchen mehr hatte, darin zu schlafen, und endlich gar nichts mehr als die Kleider auf dem Leib und ein Stückchen Brot in der Hand, das ihm ein mitleidiges Herz geschenkt hatte. Es war aber gut und fromm. Und weil es so von aller Welt verlassen war, ging es im Vertrauen auf den lieben Gott hinaus ins Feld.

Da begegnete ihm ein armer Mann, der sprach: “Ach, gib mir etwas zu essen, ich bin so hungerig.”

Es reichte ihm das ganze Stückchen Brot und sagte: “Gott segne dir’s”, und ging weiter. Da kam ein Kind, das jammerte und sprach: “Es friert mich so an meinem Kopfe, schenk mir etwas, womit ich ihn bedecken kann.”

Da tat es seine Mütze ab und gab sie ihm. Und als es noch eine Weile gegangen war, kam wieder ein Kind und hatte kein Leibchen an und fror: da gab es ihm seins; und noch weiter, da bat eins um ein Röcklein, das gab es auch von sich hin.

Endlich gelangte es in einen Wald, und es war schon dunkel geworden, da kam noch eins und bat um ein Hemdlein, und das fromme Mädchen dachte: “Es ist dunkle Nacht, da sieht dich niemand, du kannst wohl dein Hemd weggeben”, und zog das Hemd ab und gab es auch noch hin.

Und wie es so stand und gar nichts mehr hatte, fielen auf einmal die Sterne vom Himmel, und waren lauter blanke Taler; und ob es gleich sein Hemdlein weggegeben, so hatte es ein neues an, und das war vom allerfeinsten Linnen. Da sammelte es sich die Taler hinein und war reich für sein Lebtag.

1. SGC’s Christmas Tree 1

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The year was 1915 and Russia was at war with Germany. Just ten years earlier the Russians had signed the embarrassing Treaty of Portsmouth to end the Russo-Japanese War. This new war, a war with Germany, was very hard on the German colo-nists. Although they knew their allegiance was to the Czar, it was with heavy hearts that the colonists sent their sons to fight on behalf of their adopted country. Many still had family ties to the old country and the majority still practiced their German language and culture.

This new war with Germany was not going well. The Tsar’s armies were poorly led and proved to be no match for the Kaiser’s army. With Germany gaining ground on Russia’s west-ern front, the incompetent government of the Tsar looked for someone to blame. The Russian Chief of Staff felt there were too many soldiers of German descent on the western front and that these German soldiers, although fighting for the Czar, were to blame for the poor performance of the Russian army. They were thought to be saboteurs and spies for the Kaiser. Of course nothing was further from the truth. Again Russian propaganda was used to throw doubt on the soldiers as well as the common German citizen. As a result some 250,000 of these German soldiers, all sons of German colonists, were removed from the western front and shipped east to the Caucasus where they distinguished themselves in a major battle with the Turks at Erzerum.

Back on the western front defeat followed defeat. Now it was the turn of the German farmers living on the front; surely they were to blame. In February 1915, the Russian government passed a law, the Expropriation Decree, which was to liquidate all lands of Russian subjects of German descent in Volhynia (Wolhynien).* The Decree stated that all land owned by Ger-mans in Volhynia had to be sold off within 10 months and if not sold it would be auctioned off by the Russian Peasant Land Bank. The government went so far as to allow the Land Bank to set its own land prices. The Russian government by this move hoped to eliminate once and for all the presence of German landowners.

At this time there were over 200,000 Germans living in Vol-hynia. All German families were to leave Volhynia by June 1915. The exodus started with 150,000 German farmers and their families. The farmers were allowed to take only a wagon filled with their possessions; they left behind everything they could not carry, their homes as well as the beautiful crops in the fields. At the end of the wagon trek, they had to sell their horses and wagons, take what they could carry and board trains that would take them east, east to Siberia and Central Asia. The stories of hunger, death and deprivation on this exodus are well documented. Many people and especially new born babies dying on this trek were buried along roadsides with no proper burials.**

The Russian government was not yet done with its law making and on December 13, 1915 it passed another imperial decree whereby all lands owned by Germans should follow the course of their Volhynian cousins. Unknown at the time the Czar’s days were numbered and this new law did not come to pass.

The war with Germany dragged on, and by the end of 1916 the incompetency in the army, disastrous defeats and lack of ammunition and supplies had demoralized the Russian army. In January 1917, Petrograd experienced a very cold month and food shipments were delayed to the capital. The Russian people had had enough and some 80,000 metal workers took to the streets in a major strike. They were joined by thousands of others and later by the soldiers who were sent to control them. On March 12, 1917 the Czar was convinced to abdicate. The rule of the Czars’ had come to an end.

On March 16 a provisional government was put in place. This new government promised much, freedom of speech, of the press, workers right to strike, abolition of discrimination on so-cial, religious and ethnic grounds and an elected government. One could compare this to the peaceful transition of 1906 to 1908; an era of freedom and justice had become law. The German colonists were happy that order and safety had been reestablished and the soldiers who had fought in the faraway Caucasus returned home.

This new Provisional Government had the support of the middle and upper classes. However, there was one segment, the Petrograd Soviet of Workers and Soldiers Deputies, which was supported by the working classes. This group had hoped to work with the Provisional government and found it could not. For a few months these two entities worked side by side but in September of 1917 a faction named the Bolsheviks arose in the Social Democratic Party.

This party was led by a man named Lenin. He later changed the Social Democratic Party name to the Communist Party. A driven man he was openly hostile towards the provisional government. He had won control over the Soviet and now was looking for a way to seize power. The opportunity came in late October when the Bolshevik commissars took over all key garrisons in Petrograd. On November 7, a coup took place and Lenin assumed power. He promised the people equality, justice, bread and work.

The German colonists welcomed this news, but again I must say this was Russia, and in the immediate future the war with Germany would end and the way of life as the colonists knew it would be shattered. The new word introduced was Nationaliza-tion and this would have dire consequences to all peoples of Russia.

*Germans had settled Volhynia since 1800 but the largest settlements occurred in the 1830’s. Volhynia was the territory in the northwestern part of modern day Ukraine just west of Kiev next to the Polish border.

**There are several members in our local Chapter of the Germans from Russia who have family history with relation to this exodus. I would also suggest researching The Wandering Volhynians by Ewald Wutschke.

HIsTory oF GermAns From russIA, PArT 19 ALVIN KNOLL

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The Saskatchewan German Council Inc. has 39 member groups throughout Saskatchewan. Those groups include cultural clubs, language schools, dance groups, choirs, genealogical groups, and many more. The following pages contain articles by SGC member groups.

News from Member Groups

Hello From THe GermAn CulTurAl CenTreGerman Cultural Centre, Saskatoon — Adeline Vogelgesang

Oktoberfest held on October 18th truly was a “FUN NIGHT”. The well decorated hall welcomed over 300 revelers. The DJ provided lively music which enticed the crowd to fill the dance floor. Much singing, dancing, laughter and food defined this as a most successful event.

November 9th - Celebrating the Fall of the Berlin Wall featured a very interesting and emotional documentary. It was well attended, and we had the pleasure of having many guests from Regina and other out of towners. Many thanks to Sabine and her assistants from the Saskatch-ewan German Council, who arranged the many aspects of the evening, and the well-organized program.

The Christkindl Markt held on November 16th welcomed many vendors, who showcased a variety of crafts. Many indicated they would be back next year. Due to the lack of snow, we had wagon rides instead of sleigh

rides.

Santa Claus made an appearance twice during the afternoon. He surely delighted all the young people- passing out candy canes, dancing with the very young dancers, and chatting with everyone. He was not in a hurry to leave and certainly was a most welcome guest.

Two large Christmas trees are decorated in the large hall. As well we have decorated trees and mantels in the lounge, dining room and culture room. We have a very festive facility so do come and see us!

The upcoming New Year’s Eve Gala will be held on December 31st. It will be a 1950’s and 1960’s theme, with good music, good food, and much fun.

Call (306)244-6869 for more information and to buy your tickets.

GreeTInGs From THe ConCordIA BrAss BAnd Concordia Brass Band, Saskatoon — Arnold Back

The Concordia Brass Band has been very busy in 2014. We played at 17 events and were rained out for one. Most of the events were in the summer and fall. If you wish to have the Concordia Brass Band play for your event please contact us early to avoid disappointment as we had to turn down many requests this fall. Here are a few pictures of some of the events we played for. The pictures are of playing for the commemoration of fall of the Berlin Wall, the Christkindl Market and playing at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Octoberfest.

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1. Playing at the Christkindl Market. 2. At Octoberfest. 3. Celebrating the Fall of the Berlin Wall 2 3

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Pre CHrIsTmAs seAson oF THe GermAn JunIor Folk dAnCersGerman Junior folk dancers — Barbara Stehwien

As every year, the ‘Vorweihnachtszeit’, the pre-Christmas season is a busy one for per-formances and Lebkuchen sales. A vacancy at the Market Mall kiosk we had in 2012, has allowed us to set-up our Mini Christmas Market fundraiser there again. Complete with changes to the toy display from summer fun, to Trick or Treat and now the winter activities and a mini, snowy Christmas market.

Our recent performances included dancing for the Symphony Oktoberfest at TCU place and the annual Festival of Trees (our 12th year there!) at the WDM. We also visited a senior’s home and put on our multi-cultural dance afternoon at the mall. This latter event was supported by SGC and Mall administrators, and is very popular with other folk dance groups, giving them a chance to show off their new dances.

Our new show for this year puts the focus on the multicultural aspects of German folk dance. Over the years of research in not only costum-ing, but also the origins of the dances we like best, we have come across the very interesting fact of folk dances being like a commodity that travellers would ‘carry’ with them on their return home.

Examples of the dances we’re presenting are the Varsouvienne: one we first learned when teaching the Norwegian children many years ago. It is a dance that originates in Poland – the dance from Warsaw. Then there is the Finsk

Schottische, a dance from Finland, that we first learned on our trip to southern Germany. We have also traced the history of the Schustertanz to France in Alsace. These last two are favorites that we added to our repertoire after our Ger-many/Austria trip, so in a way, we are carrying on the age old tradition of travel and bringing home dances from other countries.

A fun addition to our junior junior’s perfor-mance is having one of our two German speak-ing (and singing!) dancers say the sometimes hard to pronounce German name of the dance into the microphone. This adds a wonderful touch to the dancing, and lately, when asking 3 year old Katharina to do so, she didn’t only say the name of the dance, but continued to sing the entire song in a clear and very angelic voice. Apparently, this did more than charm the audience, it completely melted her parents away.

CHrIsTmAs TIme In reGInAGerman Canadian Society harmonie, regina — Patrick Kossmann

Despite incredibly cold weather people lined up down the street to get into this year’s Christkindl Markt! Crowds started gathering at 11 am even though doors didn’t open until 2:00 pm. This shows how eager people were for the event, and how hardy the people of Regina are. Once those doors opened people flooded into the hall and began warming up with Glühwein. The hall at the Regina German Club was decorated with real trees and the forestry smell made for a very special day.

Stalls were set up selling crafts and baking, allowing people to work on their Christmas shopping with homemade items, or just pick up a snack or three for the holidays. A new event this year was the children’s baking table where the little ones could roll, cut out, and bake cookies. After the

cookies were baked the children got to decorate them and, my favourite part, eat them.

The many who attended kept the stalls and staff busy throughout the afternoon. Wandering around the club sampling wares and making purchases the afternoon passed quickly. The Glühwein flowed, the Gu-laschsuppe was gobbled up, and people left full and happy, laden down with trinkets and baking after their afternoon at the club.

Our Christmas activities will continue with our annual Weihnachtsfeier, and a Weihnachtkonzert. For more information please go to our website www.reginagermanclub.ca

1. Almost everyone at the retirement home Dec 2014, photo by J. Lovering 2. Black & White dance in Boomtown, screenshot from video by A. Despins3. Junior junior dancers at Market Mall, photo by B. Stehwien

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The November class had everything to do with potatoes. There were so many recipes to choose from but it came down to making Schupfnudeln, Kartoffelpuffer, and Marillenknödel.

This was also the first time the club tried out the kitchen at the German Cultural Centre. Everyone enjoyed the space of the new kitchen since there were 18 students, our biggest class yet!

The students were divided into groups with a spe-cific recipes. We also went over a few safety items since this was a new kitchen and there were going to be many more people. The recipes were made wonderfully and there was plenty of food left over.

New items for the club are our business cards, rack and postcards - make sure to look out for them! Our next project was to order aprons with the Kochlöffel and Nudelholz logo, they should be arriving early December, we can’t wait! We’re also currently work-ing on a cookbook that will be printed some time in 2015 and will contain the recipes that have been taught since the club started.

For December there is a big change, there was even more interest than the November class that there will be a second cooking class. Both classes are almost full, we currently have 28 registered partici-pants! There is also a tour booked at the LB Distillery in Saskatoon, hopefully one of many field trips with the club.

We wish everyone Frohe Weihnachten und einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!

For more information contact Franziska Davies at (306) 292-2117 or email: kochloeffelandnudelholz@gmail.com

On October 17, 2014 we had our first German Supper as a fund raiser for the club to honour SGC’s 30th anniversary. It was held at the Bella Vista Inn and attended by 180 people. Our master chef was Ruth Wilson’s son, Alex, who prepared a scrumptious meal with a “Nachtish” of “Bienenstich”. Well done Alex! The evening included an hour of music performed by the Little German Band. Supper was followed with a fashion show presented by our local Cottage Boutique ladies clothing store. To end the eve-ning, a number of door prizes were drawn for. Several representatives from the Saskatchewan German Council attended.

For a fall project, the Folkart Co-op Humboldt created several bistro tables, in different pat-terns, done in stained glass. All beautifully done under the guidance of our glass specialist Elaina Adams.

Every year the Folkart Co-op Humboldt donates an article to the “Festival of Wreaths” which will be held on December 4, 2014 at our new Gal-lery. The German Heritage Society’s president, John Saxinger presents a wreath each year at the Remembrance Day celebration.

And then there is St. Nikolaus who will be ar-riving on December 6th at St. Augustine parish hall to speak to the youngsters and present them with a bag of goodies. This year the children were given a picture of St. Nikolaus to colour which the they will hand to St. Nikolaus and in turn they will receive a gold (choco-late) coin as was the tradition many years ago, when the saints dropped a bag of gold coins into a poor family’s window to provide a dowry for their daughter.

A number of our members attended the docu-mentary and supper at the German Club Concordia, celebrating the 25th year of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. They were most impressed with the documentary.

The Ursuline and Elizabethan sisters who have resided in Humboldt for many years have re-cently moved to Trinity Manor in Saskatoon.

The former Wilkommen Centre has been renovated and is now a Gallery – a good asset to our city. More murals have been added to down town, depicting pioneer days in this area.

wAs IsT los In HumBoldT?German heritage Society of humboldt and district — Ursula Klassen

loTs oF exCITInG news From koCHlöFFel And nudelHolz!kochlöffel & nudelholz, Saskatoon — Franziska Davies

1. Marillenknödel ready to be cooked. 2. Finished product and ready to eat!

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1. Supper at the Bella Vista Inn 2. Painting bistro tables

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GuTen TAG! GreeTInGs From PrInCe AlBerTkarnevalsgesellschaft harmonie, regina — Darlene RubrechtIn September our dance groups started up with Cheryl and Sheila Aldous continuing as our dance instructors. The dancers learned new dances which were performed at Crowning. Crowning took place this year on November 7. We crowned Prince Les 1 and Princess Karen 1. Our MC this year was Carey Smith from CTV weather. He learned what Crowning and Karneval was about. We tried a different format this year with a lunch of cold cuts and buns being served. The skit introduced us to the history and coming together of two families. Carey met Milly Willy one of the Princes girlfriends (ex). During her speech she received the gong and was escorted out by the Prince and his entourage. But the Prince then ran after Milly to give her some flowers and a gift. After the Crowning and speeches, ROCAPULCO played into the wee hours of the night. Karneval Christmas Party for the children and adults was on Dec. 6th at 6:30 PM. Before the party the dancers were practising for the performance at a Christmas Party. KG Harmonie Regina is hosting Western Canada Mardi Gras January 23, 24, and 25, 2015. Following are some postures featuring the events open to the public. To purchase packages, which gives you the meal tickets and entrance to all events, or individual tickets and/or hotel information please contact Darlene Rubrecht @ 306 545-8873 or email me at darrubrecht@myaccess.ca. 1. Prince and Princess dancing 2. Getting ready to perform.

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… unTo us A TIme HAs Comedas Schulhaus German language School Inc., regina — Sabine Zagoricnik-WeckerThat time, when it is already beginning to get dark in the late afternoon, when our senses seem to draw inward, when we seek warmth and light, when we bundle up inhaling crisp fresh air, is always that time of the year where we get excited, brewing a cup of hot tea, seeking for flavors like orange and cinnamon, instead of getting a beer out of the fridge. Those times are the magical ones and they are especially filled with cultural pieces, that help us focus on the Staade Zeit (quiet time) of the year.For me, those times begin with the lighting up of the evening darkness when taking the Lantern walk along Wascana Park around the day of St. Martin (November 11th). The songs the German School sung in German were also sung in English by our guests from the Regina community. Around 50 people, adults and children gathered, all equipped with Lan-terns mainly self-made. We had spare ones, but didn’t need them. Singing Lantern songs combined with the experience of carrying a light into the dark creates memories and connects the language learning experience authentically to a living culture. As every year, and this was our 4th annual Lantern Walk, a warm fire and hot punch and the very first Lebkuchen awaited us. We are already look-ing forward to next year’s walk and I encourage you all, to come join us, to experience this beautiful piece of the German culture.After our Lantern Walk, language learning for our children’s classes be-comes embedded into the topic of Adventszeit and Christmas. While board members and parents are crafting Adventskränze (advents wreath) and Adventsgestecke (candle-arrangements), angels and pixies to be sold at the Regina Christkindl’ Markt at Das Schulhaus’ table, stu-dents use songs, poems, and stories to expand their vocabulary and open the door into the German Christmas world, with St. Nikolaus, Adventskal-ender and Adventskranz,

St. Nikolaus came to visit the school again this year, bringing Apfel Nuss und Mandelkern, because das haben alle Kinder gern. By the way, Christmas songs were sung around a fire pit, with Plätzchen (Christmas-cookies) and punch in-between sleigh rides through the winter wonder-prairie. We left you in awe? Join us! Meanwhile Das Schulhaus wishes you, Frohe Weihnachten! Registration is now open for the adult classes winter semester and German language proficiency exam!Contact: dasSchulhaus@gmail.com

1. Sankt Nikolaus came for a visit in his sleigh. 2. Das Schulhaus at the German Canadian Society Harmonie for their annual Weihnachts Markt

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N e w s f r o m s G C m e m b e r G r o u p s

sGC memBer orGAnIzATIonsAmerican Historical Society of Germans

From Russia, Regina

Austrian Canadian Edelweiss Club, Regina

Austrian Edelweiss Dance Association, Regina

Community Radio Society of Saskatoon Inc.

Concordia Alpenrose Schuhplattler Verein

Concordia Brass Band

Concordia Junior Alpenrose Dancers

Das Schulhaus - Regina German Language School Inc.

Department of International Language, U of R

Estevan & District German Freundschaft Society

Folkart Co-op Humboldt

German Cultural Centre, Saskatoon

German Canadian Society Harmonie, Regina

German Heritage Society of Humboldt & District Inc.

German Junior Folk Dancers, Saskatoon

German Language School Saskatoon Inc.

German Language School of Regina

German Russian Cultural Group, Leader

German Students’ Association - U of S

Hansel & Gretel Preschool Inc.

Imhoff Heritage Society, St. Walburg

Jagd- und Fischverein “Waidmann’s Lust”, Regina

Karnevalsgesellschaft Harmonie, Regina

Kochlöffel & Nudelholz: German-Canadian Koch- und Backstudio

Lloydminster German Heritage Society Inc.

Melville & District German Heritage Club

Mennonite Heritage Village, Swift Current

Parents Association of German Language School, Saskatoon

Prince Albert German Canadian Club Waldhorn

Regina German Film Club

Saskatchewan Association of Teachers of German, Saskatoon

Saskatchewan German Culture Assistance Fund Inc.

Saskatoon German Days

Skat Club Saskatoon

Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Regina

Village of Edenwold

Volksliederchor Concordia, Saskatoon

Volksliederchor Harmonie Inc., Regina

This fall has been a whirlwind of activity for our new young group. We ended the summer & started the fall with an afternoon of Fun & Ice cream at Crickle Creek. We were happy to welcome 3 new families to the German Cultural Centre and 5 new dancers to our group. Thanks to Danielle for getting our new dancers ‘Performance Ready’ in just seven practices. A special thanks to Karla Blumrich for sewing the dirndls for our new dancers, in time for our performances. The Concordia Junior Alpenrose Dancers were excited to be part of the GCC’s first annual Halloween Howl. We thank all who helped in our fundraising efforts, by purchasing candy at our ‘Witches Cauldron’. It was a Howl!We had 3 performances at Christkindlmarkt and Danielle still made sure the children managed to fit in a Sleigh Ride. The dancers did great, we were so proud of them. Thanks to our dance parents for sell-ing Gingerbread Men at our fundraising table and to Penny, Marian & Brenda for baking Gingerbread Men. The dancers had as much fun decorating them as they did eating them. We next performed at Festival of Trees. What a great venue for our final performance before our Christmas break. “You can’t beat getting paid in Gingerbread!”Regular Tuesday practices will begin again on Tues-day, January 6th at 6:15pm for older dancers & at 6:45 pm for the younger dancers. If you know of a child that may be interested, feel free to bring them by to check us out or contact Brenda Booker at 306-373-7973

‘All the best to you during this Holiday Season!’ from The Concordia Junior Alpenrose Dancers.

Hello From THe new GrouP!Concordia Junior alpenrose dancers — Brenda Booker

1. Performing at the Festival of Trees 2. New costumes 3. Dancers dressed up in costume for their fundraiser night.

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Members of the Volksliederchor Harmonie took part in the Christkindl Markt held on November 29, 2014 at the Regina German Club. The choir sang at the Rotary Carol Festival on Tuesday, December 2, 2014, and we presented our annual Christmas Concert to a large and appreciative crowd on Sunday, December 2, 2014.Upcoming singing engagements in 2015 include: a Regina Public Library (Main branch downtown) concert on March 24th , our Spring Concert on May 3rd , and the bi-annual Sängerfest Concert in Edmonton (occurring on May 17 – the May long-weekend Sunday). Our first practice in the New Year will be on Tuesday, January 20, 2015, at 7:00 pm at the Regina German Club (1727 St. John Street). New members are always welcome!

eVenTs From THe CHoIr In reGInAvolksliederchor harmonie — Mary Kondzielewski

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Community working bees are going strong in Melville. It took only one day to get folks to come together to be part of an apple peeling bee. Apples were donated by Sheron and Grant Schmidt. The Ed Millers set up a station in their home and soon volunteers showed up to begin work. With Ed Miller at the crank, the peeling of apples soon began. In no time pails of apples were ready for strudel. Irene Wirth and her daughter were ready with all the preparations to begin making strudel. These strudels were then sold in Yorkton at their Multicultural Mosaic held on November 16.Our club is busy all year long with month card parties. During the summer we man a booth serving sauerkraut and smokies at Melville’s Railroad Days. October we held an Oktoberfest dance. Come Christmas we celebrate St. Nicholas Day with a pot luck supper.From our club members we wish all of you a blessed holiday season and may 2015 be good to everyone.

N e w s f r o m s G C m e m b e r G r o u p s

uPdATe From THe dAnCe GrouPConcordia alpenrose Schuhplattler verein — Amanda Marien

The Concordia Alpenrose Schuhplattler Verein kept busy this fall with a variety of events at the German Cultural Centre and in the community. The Halloween Howl at the Centre, on October 28th, was a huge success. We made quite a few batches of ‘Witches Brew’ for the adults and kids, complete with a floating hand and lots of creepy crawlers. It was a great fundraiser for us, and fun to see all of the children dressed up in costume! A few of us attended the ‘Fall of the Berlin Wall’ event, commemorating the 25th anniversary of that day in history. It was a lovely evening put on by the SGC and hosted at the Centre. On November 16th we worked at the Christkindlmarkt, selling Gluhwein and

apple cider. There were many skilled vendors, selling everything from honey to quilts. A big thank you to all of the members and associ-ated groups who entertained that day, as well as Don Swanson for dressing up as Santa. The sleigh rides were fun too, except for the cold weather! Our final performance of 2014 took place on November 22nd at the Elks club for their ‘Bavarian Night’. In a few weeks, we will gather together for our annual Christmas party and then enjoy some rest and relaxation, spent with friends and family. From us to you,Merry Christmas!

1. Selling Glühwein at the Christkindlmarkt

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Hello From melVIllemelville & district German heritage Club — Carol Ferleyko

Before we know it the first 3 months of German School are over and we are still get-ting new students joining our programs. One family drives in from Davidson which is a great commitment!

A highlight of the fall was our Sankt Martin’s Celebration. It was an evening full of treats as we had a potluck dessert buffet which was just wonderful! After that, the students performed different songs, we saw a Sankt Martin’s play and heard a poem. One student drew a big picture of what Sankt Martin means to him. At the end of the evening, the children went outside for the lantern parade. We hope that everyone took home some good memories of our German cultural event!

Starting this school year, the Ministry of Education requires all students of Heritage Language Schools in Saskatchewan to do self-assessments to assess student skills and learning progress. The focus is on what students can do, rather than what they cannot do. Our classes are well underway with the self-assessments.

If you are interested in learning German, please contact Gabi Harrison, p.382-8158, email germanschoolsaskatoon@sasktel.net or check www.germanschoolsaskatoon.caWe are also on Twitter: @yxegermanschool

uPdATe From sAskAToonGerman language School, Saskatoon — Gabi Harrison

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N e w s f r o m s G C m e m b e r G r o u p sN e w s f r o m s G C m e m b e r G r o u p s

The Skat Club Saskatoon has had another successful season of recruitment, and is working diligently to enlist new recruits, not only to learn the game, but to have them remain as full time card players. Our goal was to expand, and we have done so by a small number. It is exciting to see some of our newer members taking an active role in mentoring the new players. The experience of learning the sometimes mind-warping game of Skat is put to good use while training the newcomers. We hope that other clubs are having good luck in finding and keeping also new members.

Our Canadian national Skat team managed to come in 3rd (bronze medal) from 9 teams after a very slow start during the World Championship in Asuncion, Paraguay. This event was played on October 27th over 4 rounds.

All World Championship results are posted on the ISPA World Homepage: http://www.ispaworld.org

While some of our members have attended tournaments in such places as Las Vegas, Seattle, Kelowna, Vancouver, Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Montreal, we look forward to having members from those

clubs return the favor by attending our tournament in 2015. It will be held May 29, 30, & 31. As well, we will be holding an Easter Tourney – April 11 and a Christmas Tourney December 12th in 2015.

This year’s Skat season will end on December 13th followed by our annual meeting and awards presentation for the year 2014 on December 17th.

As always, The Skat Club Saskatoon meets regularly each Wednesday evening, at the German Culture Centre, 7:00pm., and is open to anyone who wishes to come and have a look at what SKAT is all about.

“Playing Skat is fun and an excellent memory game”

More information about our club can be found on our home page:

http://www.skatcanada.ca/canada/clubs/saskatoon/index.html

The Skat Club Saskatoon is wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy healthy New Year.

skAT newsSkat Club, Saskatoon — Barry Neufeld

news From THe PresCHoolhansel & Gretel preschool, Saskatoon — Ulrike Hecker

As winter is approaching we are well into the school year 2014/15 with our three classes. The last few months had been busy for us and had bee filled with various fun activities.

On October 27th and Oct 30st we took our children on a field trip to Dutch Growers. Our students enjoyed running through the Hay Maze and playing hide and seek.

We celebrated our annual St. Martin Fest on November 5/6 with our children and many parents joined us for the lantern parade at the end of class.

As part of our winter unit we had a special “hibernation day” in November and all kids showed up with their Pj’s and teddy bears. There was a lot of snoring going on in our many caves that we had set up for our little bears.

On December 4/5 we had a special visitor coming to our school. Nikolaus came and was very impressed by how much German our students have learned over the last few months. The children were so excited when they found their boots filled with candies and fruits in the hallway.

On December 11th all of our classes participated in the Brevoort Park School Winter Concert. Hansel and Gretel Preschool opened the concert with a German Dance and German songs and rhymes.

Open House and Registration for the 2015/16 School Year: January 28th 6:30 -8:00 p.m.

Registration (in person registration) for the next school year will start on the day of our Open House! If you are interesting in registering your child in our German-English bilingual preschool, please register early. Classes usually fill up fast!!!

You will find more information on our website: www.hanselandgretelpreschool.ca.

On behalf of our board and all staff members, Hansel and Gretel Preschool wishes “Frohe Weihnachten” und ein “Gesundes Neues Jahr”

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1. Hibernation day at the preschool. 2. Getting ready to see St. Nikolaus. 3. Performing for St. Nikolaus

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N e w s f r o m s G C m e m b e r G r o u p s

GreeTInGs From THe CHoIrvolksliederchor Concordia, Saskatoon — Margot HasnerAfter weeks of practicing for our Christmas concert, the day finally arrived. Our concert was held a bit early than usual on Sunday, November 23 at the GCC. The day turned out in our favour! Despite a cold, snowy and windy day, people kept on coming.

The Concordia Brass Band played for about half hour, prior to our performance. Their contribution sure added to the festive atmosphere of the after-noon. We sang old, familiar German Christmas songs, with the audience joining us for a couple of them.

We also had solo performances and I am very happy to report that we recruited 3 new members. That will bring our membership up to 20. After the concert, we visited with the audience and as always served coffee and cake.

It was a wonderful afternoon and we parted by wishing everyone a wonderful advent season and a Merry Christmas.

Many people helped to make an afternoon like this possible. There are too many to thank, a special thank you goes to SGC for their financial support and the friendly help from the office staff.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

uPdATe From TrInITytrinity evangelical lutheran Church, regina — Frieda Koenig

The cold weather has come into Saskatchewan with vengeance letting us know winter is here. No sooner are the Halloween decorations down - up comes the Christmas décor. It seems the commercialization of Christmas comes earlier and earlier every year. In the Christian faith we celebrate the Advent season with an Advent wreath with four candles on it. Every Sunday a new candle is lit until December 24 for the birth of Christ. Das Christkindl and Santa Claus leave gifts on December 25. Sankt Nicholaus comes on December 6th with gifts for children who have been “good” during the past year.

Trinity has been blessed in continuation of our German heritage. Our choir performs every Sunday morning in both the German Service at 9:30 and English at 11 a.m. We thank our dedicated members who attend the every Wednesday choir practices, our organist Hertha Pfeifer as well as the talented choir directors Dr. David Dick and his wife Lara Janzen.

A long-time member of Trinity and a great promoter of the German culture in Regina and surrounding area, Winfried Schlosser, passed away on July 29th. Our deepest sympathy to his wife Stephanie, his children Carmen and Michael and their families. Winfried will be greatly missed in the German community.

On November 2nd over 200 people enjoyed a festive meal of turkey with all the trimmings as well as a variety of pies for dessert. The day be-fore a group of enthusiastic members young and old made 600 cabbage rolls. We thank the many hard working volunteers who made this event such a success.

On November 16 the Anglican Church Archbishop Robert Hardwick was the guest speaker at our combined English and German Service at 11 a.m. This was followed by a pot luck luncheon. He had an inspiring, posi-tive message encouraging members to be optimistic and hard working in keeping our churches active. This is getting harder in the secular world we now live in.

On behalf of Pastor Lindsay Hognestad and all members of our congrega-

tion we wish all the members of SGC the serenity of peace and joy during this festive season. May you adore the Christmas tree through the eyes of a youngster and be transformed, even if just for a moment, into the world of angelic dreams, hope and great anticipation.Frohe Weihnachten und ein gesegnetes Neue Jahr.

Christmas Eve, December 24, Candlelight service at 7:30 p.m.Christmas Day, December 25, German service 09:30 and English at 11 a.m.Every Sunday Services at 09:30 German, 11 o’clock English.No services on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.

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1. Getting ready to serve meals. 2. Sit-ting down to enjoy all the delicious food.

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K i n de r - & J u g e n d s e i t e n

Weih-nachtsgedicht

Knecht Ruprecht

Von drauß vom Walde komm’ ich her;Ich muß euch sagen, es weihnachtet sehr!Allüberall auf den TannenspitzenSah ich goldene Lichtlein sitzen;Und droben aus dem HimmelstorSah mit großen Augen das Christkind hervor,Und wie ich so strolcht’ durch den finstern Tann,Da rief’s mich mit heller Stimme an:

“Knecht Ruprecht”, rief es, “alter Gesell,Hebe die Beine und spute dich schnell!Die Kerzen fangen zu brennen an,Das Himmelstor ist aufgetan,Alt’ und Junge sollen nunVon der Jagd des Lebens ruhn;Und morgen flieg’ ich hinab zur Erden,Denn es soll wieder Weihnachten werden!”

Ich sprach: “O lieber Herre Christ,Meine Reise fast zu Ende ist;Ich soll nur noch in diese Stadt,Wo’s eitel gute Kinder hat.” -“Hast denn das Säcklein auch bei dir?”Ich sprach: “Das Säcklein, das ist hier;Denn Äpfel, Nuß und MandelkernEssen fromme Kinder gern.” -

“Hast denn die Rute auch bei dir?”Ich sprach: “Die Rute, die ist hier;Doch für die Kinder nur, die schlechten,Die trifft sie auf den Teil, den rechten.”Christkindlein sprach: “So ist es recht;So geh mit Gott, mein treuer Knecht!”

Von drauß vom Walde komm’ ich her;Ich muß euch sagen, es weihnachtet sehr!Nun sprecht, wie ich’s hierinnen find’!Sind’s gute Kind, sind’s böse Kind?

(Theodor Storm)

suchbild

Ausmalen

These two pictures may look the same, but they are not! Find 12 differences:

http://gs-eversten.de/advent2010/08.html

www.aduis.com

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Basteln

http://www.kidsweb.de/winter/eisbaer_buechse/eisbaer_aus_bechern_basteln.html

dicke eisbären

Um diese beiden dicken Gesellen zu basteln braucht man: Watte,

Wackelaugen, ein Stückchen schwarzes Papier für das Schnäuzchen,

Büchsen, leere Puddingbecher oder leere Getränkekartons, Kleber und vielleicht,

für die Beine und Ohren, Verpackungsstäbchen oder Korken.

Zwei Puddingbecher dienen dem großen Eisbären als Schnauze.

Sie werden aneinander geklebt.

Dann klebt man hinten eine kleine Büchse an die Becher.

Nun sollte der Unterbau einige Stunden trocknen.

Den Trocknungsvorgang kann man sich sparen, wenn man mit einer Klebepistole arbeitet.

Ist der Unterbau getrocknet, streicht man ihn mit Kleber ein und umhüllt ihn mit Watte.

Nun den Bären in Form drücken und Ohren aus Verpackungsstäbchen schnei

den und ankleben. Das Schnäuzchen wir aus einem Stückchen schwarzem

Papier geschnitten. Fertig, ist Eisbär Nummer 1.

Eisbär Nummer 2 kann mit Nüssen oder Bonbons gefüllt werden. Dazu klebt man

einen etwa 10 Zentimeter hohen Getränkekarton auf einen Pudding oder Jogurtbecher.

Als Beine werden an den Getränkekarton Verpackungsstäbchen geklebt. Ist der Unterbau

getrocknet, wird er mit Kleber eingestrichen und wie oben beschrieben weiter bearbeitet.

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Please return unclaimed copies to:

Saskatchewan German Council Inc.

John V. Remai Center

510 Cynthia Street

Saskatoon, SK S7L 7K7