Bavaria and Franconia:
About traditions and festivals, the Bavarians and the citizenship

Like any other region in Germany, the Bavarians (and also the Franconians of course) are very proud of their traditions which often have a historical background. During the year these traditions are often maintained on festivals and various opportunities. Traditional costumes collectively known as Tracht are worn on special occasions and often include the so called Lederhosen (engl.: leather trousers) for males and Dirndl for females.
Century-old folk music is practiced and dialect songs and poems are taught in nursery schools. The Maibaum, or Maypole (which in the Middle Ages served as the community's yellow pages, as figurettes on the pole represent the trades of the village), became a tradition in Bavaria in the 16th century and the bagpipes in the Upper Palatinate region bear witness to the ancient Celtic and Germanic remnants of cultural heritage of the region.

The Schuhplattler is a traditional folk dance originated in the alpine regions of Bavaria and Austria during the 17th century. It means slapping the shoe soles, is quite funny to look on and had a very practical beginning: During the winter months, when the men went into the mountains to cut wood, they spent their evenings in a wooden cabin. Partly as entertainment, but mostly as a means of keeping warm, they began jumping up and down and slapping their thighs. This developed into a sort of competition to see who could jump the highest or stamp their feet the loudest. The story also goes that they had watched the male grouse drumming and strutting in the woods, and that some of the dance steps that were later developed depicted this ritual. After several weeks in the mountains, when the young woodchoppers returned to their villages, they tried to impress the girls with their Schuhplatteln. The dance is always performed while wearing the traditional Lederhosen.

In comparison to the sometimes elaborate formality in other parts of Germany, Bavarians are known to be more egalitarian and folksy. Their sociability can among other things be experienced at the annual Oktoberfest, the world's largest beer festival welcoming around 6 million visitors every year, or at lots of regional festivals (e.g. country fairs and folk festivals) which take place all over Bavaria and Franconia from spring till autumn.

The Gäubodenfest in the Lower Bavarian town of Straubing is the second largest folk festival in Bavaria whereas the Church Inauguration is the largest end best know festival in Franconia dedicated to church inauguration. Inauguration of the St. Michaelis Church in Fürth, with a procession as its highlight, originated in the 13th century. It begins on the Sunday after St. Michael's Day and lasts for eleven days. Visitors of our Bavarian/Franconian country will certainly get in touch with lots of traditions depending where they are. Many towns and villages have their own traditions, for one thing the Schlappentag in Hof is (almost) a local bank holiday with beer brewed specially for the day of the festival. Keep your eyes open while travelling through Germany´s beautiful south and we won´t let you down.

The fact that unlike all other German states, Bavaria's constitution provides for Bavarian citizenship is often mentioned as an indicator for Bavarian distinctiveness. Some Bavarians are keen to emphasize that - in accordance with the generous indication of the constitution — they regard everyone

born in Bavaria, born to a Bavarian parent, adopted by a Bavarian as a child, married to a Bavarian or naturalized in Bavaria, as a fellow-Bavarian; some of those falling under this untechnical definition express pride in being Bavarian. However, state legislation regulating citizenship procedures has never been enacted, the constitution itself provides that all Germans enjoy the same rights as Bavarian citizens, and no office issues certificates concerning a "Bavarian" citizenship. Thus, the notion of citizenship rather bears a folkloristic, but not really political meaning.

However, many of those born in Bavaria clearly divide between born Bavarians and people that only moved to Bavaria. The nickname for all those who came to Bavaria is 'Zugroaste' (Zugereiste = those who have traveled here).

Many people in the northern part of Bavaria see themselves as Franconians and do therefore not like to be called Bavarians. They have a separate dialect and don't wear traditional Bavarian clothing. (Source for Bavarian citizenship: Wikipedia)

Now to one of the most important things: some culinary specialities