Serious Nonsense - Groundhog Lodges, Versammlinge, and Pennsylvania German Heritage

"Versammlingeùcommunity events filled with songs, performances, speeches, and skits that celebrate Pennsylvania German heritage and cultureùare held entirely in the Pennsylvania German Deitsch language. Some, the ôgroundhog lodges,ö feature a ceremony honoring the groundhog, while others do not. These unique meetings, expressions of a distinctive ethnic identity in the context of a rapidly changing society, have become a traditional mainstay among Pennsylvania Germans who have worked to preserve their language and culture into the twenty-first century.
Serious Nonsense introduces readers to Pennsylvania German cultural practices that tourists rarely see and that outsiders, including most scholars, rarely learn about. The book explores the origins of the versammlinge and details the practiceÆs significance since the 1930s, when the first meetings of the Pennsylvania German groundhog lodges were held. Much as they did then, versammlinge today follow a pattern of prayers, patriotism, and speeches extolling values associated with Pennsylvania German identity, as well as theatrical and oral events that humorously contrast a simpler past with a more complex and confusing present. And the groundhog lodges feature one Pennsylvania German tradition that has become familiar in popular culture: groundhog weather prognostication.

About the author

William W. Donner is Professor of Anthropology at Kutztown University.

Product details

• Authors: Professor William W (Kutztown University) Donner, William W. Donner, William W. (Professor Donner, Donner William W., William W. Donner
• Publisher: University Presses
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 15.05.2016
• EAN: 9780271071183
• ISBN: 978-0-271-07118-3
• Dimensions: 152 mm x 203 mm x 15 mm
• Weight: 340 g
• Illustrations: Raster,schwarz-weiss
• Series: Keystone Books(r); Keystone Books; Keystone Books
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Regional and national histories; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Geosciences > Geography; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; Social sciences, law, business > Social sciences (general); SOCIAL SCIENCE / Folklore & Mythology, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Regional Studies, HISTORY / United States / 20th Century, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Customs & Traditions, Fashion & society, Ancient Greek religion & mythology, Regional Studies, History of the Americas, US Northeast: Mid-Atlantic States