Hahnenköppen
Hahnenköppen is an old custom that is mainly cultivated in the Bergisches Land , in the Eifel , in the area around Cologne , in the Jülich Land and in the Neuss area .
At Festivals , Thanksgiving or Oktoberfest celebrations there is a public competition in which it applies, a previously slaughtered and upside down suspended in a basket Hahn cut off the head. Whoever succeeds in the decisive blow becomes rooster king of a village, court or association for one year. The applicants for the royal dignity perform a blow blindfolded, a blunt saber or sword and are controlled by shouts of the audience. The ceremony can be done in a few minutes, but it can also take an hour or more.
history
There are different explanations about the origins. A living rooster is said to have served the custom in the late Middle Ages . For at least 200 years, however, a slaughtered rooster has been used and in some cases a wooden replica has been used. At times there were protests against the old custom and attempts were even made to block events. Resolute opponents described the Hahneköppen as "corpse-fledging" and a violation of the animal welfare law . The custom has been documented since the 16th century.
Symbolism and meaning
The rooster is a symbol of the evil and damaging harvest spirit who takes refuge in the last sheaf of the harvested grain . This spirit is killed by heads .
Another version comes from the early 19th century when Germany was occupied by Napoleon's troops. The Gallic rooster is a symbol of France, and the Germans are said to have made it clear through the Hahneköppen that they actually did not want to submit.
Similar customs
Goose riding is a comparable custom that is particularly widespread in the Westphalian region and in Velbert .
In Lusatia there is the custom of “cock plucking”, in which the head of the dead, high-hanging cock must be plucked by skilled riders. The winner will receive a wreath made of oak leaves , similar to what is still happening in the Bergisches Land today .
Hahnenschlag is a custom at village festivals in various German regions as well as in Wroclaw . A tap is placed in a pit that is covered with a pot. The "rooster hitter" then has to try to find the pot blindfolded and smash it with a flail . Sometimes the rooster has to be caught or also killed. The decisive difference to the cock's head is that a living animal is killed with blows. Similar customs have been handed down since 1560. Because of the resistance of animal rights activists , this custom is no longer practiced with live roosters, but with dummies .
literature
- Gustav Hermann Halbach: Bergischer Sprachschatz
- Jürgen Matschie, Hanka Fascyna: Sorbian customs
- Johann Georg Theodor Grasse: Silesia and Lower Lusatia 173: The rooster and goose bites in Breslau .
- Franz Xaver von Schönwerth : From the Upper Palatinate. Sitten und Sagen , Volume 1 (1857); §25 1) The tapping of the cock
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ charge because Hahne Koppen in winds. aachener-nachrichten.de