Posted
on July 21, 2013
The
children saved the entire town!
At
least, that's what the legend claims...
Today
the people of Dinkelsbuhl, Bavaria (Germany), celebrate the
“Children's Reckoning” with a play, parades, and dances. So let's
learn just what this reckoning was supposed to be!
It
was during the Thirty Years' War of the 1600s, and an army of Swedes
was approaching this Bavarian town. Apparently the war had already
destroyed much of Germany, and the townspeople were sure that their
town would soon be in the same plight. But still the adults gathered
in a town council meeting and tried to figure out what they could do
in defense.
The
gatekeeper's daughter was a girl named Lore. She had an idea—why
not gather all the children of the town, she said, and have them ask
the Swedish commander for mercy?
I
am surprised that the council approved this plan, but Lore and a band
of other children gathered their courage, began to sing, and marched
out to meet the incoming army. When they reached Colonel Sperreuth,
Lore knelt before him and asked that the town be spared.
And—at
least according to the legend—Colonel Sperreuth agreed. He told the
townspeople, “Children are the rescuers of Dinkelsbuhl. Always
remember the debt of thanks you owe them.”
During
today's festival, adults dressed in costume play the roles of the
Swedish soldiers and of the townspeople and town council. Children,
of course, dress in costume to reenact the singing, kneeling, and
request for mercy. After this play, there is a parade of the
Dinkelsbuhl Boys' Band and performances of a medieval sword dance.
All the children who participate in the festival receive colorful
bags of candy as a token of Dinkelsbuhl's unending gratitude to
children!
By
the way, about 300,000 people attend this festival!
Also
on this date:
Plan
ahead:
Check
out my Pinterest pages on July
holidays, historical
anniversaries in July,
and July
birthdays.
And
here are my Pinterest pages on August
holidays, historical
anniversaries in August,
and August
birthdays.
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