Carnival in Dorfen: “Archaic, wild and deeply rooted” – Erding

There are many reasons to visit the Dorfen town hall: You have to extend papers, need a new roll of yellow bags or are interested in an item on the agenda of the city council meeting. Currently and until February 21, you should also visit the town hall foyer without a formal reason, at least if you are interested in the Dorfen tradition of Hemadlenzen: On the occasion of the 1250th anniversary of the town, the Historical Circle is presenting an exhibition worth seeing that is informative, entertaining and is humorous and peppered with original anecdotes.

Behind the entrance door, a handcart with a pigtail tied to it discreetly draws attention to the topic. The small tour begins with an introduction and the history of the Dorfen carnival. “The Hemadlenz in Dorfen is archaic, wild, tame, drunk, full of fun and self-sufficient,” write the curators. And he was “deeply anchored in Dorfen’s soul”. A beautiful declaration of love on the highest holiday in Dorfen.

This is what it should look like, the typical Hemadlenzn robe.

(Photo: Renate Schmidt)

Carnival customs: The custom of dragging Lenz along as a straw doll in a mobile cage and burning it at the end of the parade dates back to 1955.

The custom of dragging Lenz as a straw doll in a mobile cage and burning it at the end of the parade dates back to 1955.

(Photo: Renate Schmidt)

Carnival has been celebrated in Dorfen for around 300 years; the first documented evidence dates back to 1724. The founding of the carnival society dates back to 1899, as can be seen in the exhibition. However, there are conflicting sources for the Hemadlenzen custom. “Nothing gwiß woas ma ned”, so the headline in the exhibition. It has been handed down by eyewitnesses that the first moves took place around 1890. The oldest known photos of Hemadlenz date back to 1931. Pastor Josef Gammel also describes carnival in Dorfen in his local book. The custom of dragging Lenz along as a straw doll in a mobile cage and burning it at the end of the parade is said to have only started in 1955.

Carnival customs: the chamber pot....

The chamber pot….

(Photo: Renate Schmidt)

Carnival customs: ...the baby bottle ring...

…the baby bottle…

(Photo: Renate Schmidt)

Carnival customs: ...and the Saublodan are also important accessories for fun.

…and the Saublodan are also important accessories at Gaudi.

(Photo: Renate Schmidt)

For those completely inexperienced, there is also a crash course on how a nonsensical Thursday works in Dorfen, starting with the traditional white sausage breakfast and ending with the symbolic driving out of winter. “Theoretically, the Hemadlenzen procession ends after this ritual,” the statement said. “But in practice, the celebrations are only really starting. (…) On this day, there will be flirting and kissing as much as possible.”

The Hemadlenz has also inspired various artists: The exhibition shows pictures by Max Hertwig and Hermann Winter, by Hans Arnold and Annemarie Werhazy. The history of the Hemadlenzen fountain on Rathausplatz, which Hermann Wandinger created, is also explained.

An extensive collection of carnival medals is also presented, including the first from 1899. The traditional robes that men and women wear when parading are displayed on two partition walls, and a Lenz is pinned to another as a straw doll, symbolizing winter.

There are anecdotes about the three Damische Knights or about the year 1991, when all carnival events throughout Germany were canceled due to the Iraq war. “The meaningfulness did not make sense to everyone,” says the explanation. That’s why around 50 people from Dorfen met in the youth center and organized a small parade through the city – accompanied by a large police presence.

In the photos you can see old school friends

Of course, the large photo walls are also an eye-catcher for all interested Dorfeners: Old school friends, relatives and acquaintances can be recognized in photos from several decades. You get that pleasure a second time watching a music video edited from old footage and photos. “Long live our Hemadlenz” is the name of the song to the melody of “Long live the central cemetery”. Newly written and sung by the Dorfen cabaret artist Alfred Mittermeier, who took singing lessons for the song. The video can also be seen on YouTube under the search terms Mittermeier and Hemadlenz. However, it looks even nicer in the context of the exhibition.

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