January society

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The January Society or January Society of the Wittwen- und Statutenkasse is a traditional merchant festival of members of the Bremen Chamber of Commerce , which takes place on the Monday after Epiphany .

history

The custom goes back to the "Große Kaufmannkost", first mentioned in 1549, and is one of the oldest feasts and table parties in the world. It includes the incumbent and former members of the plenum of the Bremen Chamber of Commerce as well as the Chamber's Syndici . During the January Society, new plenary members are accepted into the widows and statutes fund. Traditionally, this annual gathering of the so-called parents of the merchant class took place in honor of the new members, which can be seen, among other things, from the term "Introductions meal", which was used towards the end of the 18th century.

The widows and statutes fund was founded in 1774 to provide financial support to the bereaved of deceased plenary members. The January company is still financed today from the proceeds of the cash register.

The January Society always takes place in Schütting , the seat of the Bremen Chamber of Commerce, and traditionally begins with honoring the deceased and admitting new members to the widows and statutes fund; This is followed by a keynote speech by the President of the Chamber at the turn of the year. The event ends with a joint banquet.

literature

  • Udo Immermann: The January company of the Chamber of Commerce - a great Bremen merchant tradition . In: Festivals and Customs in Bremen. Contributions to the cultural and social history of the Hanseatic city. Festschrift for the hundredth birthday of the Focke Museum . Ed .: Die Wittheit zu Bremen; Ed .: Hans Kloft, Martina Rudloff; Hauschild Verlag , Bremen 2000, ISBN 3-89757-042-4 , pp. 63-67.
  • Klaus Berthold: Bremen merchant festivals. Rituals, customs and table manners of the Bremen merchants . Reprint, Carl Schünemann Verlag, Bremen 2008, ISBN 978-3-7961-1902-6 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Udo Immermann: Festivals and customs in Bremen ; Hauschild 2000, p. 63.
  2. a b c Press release of the Bremen Chamber of Commerce from January 12, 2009.
  3. ^ Udo Immermann: Festivals and customs in Bremen ; Hauschild 2000, p. 65.