Maisingen

Maisingen in the 18th century

Maisingen is a custom that is still practiced mainly in the Sense district of the canton of Friborg and in the cantons of Geneva and Ticino , Switzerland and neighboring regions. It is a song that children use to collect sweets (previously fruit or eggs) and now mainly coins. In other regions of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, northern Italy and in some German-speaking areas of the Czech Republic was the corn Ingen long tradition and is in the course of globalization debates of ritual studies of local history societies etc. partially revived.

procedure

The Maisingen takes place every year on May 1st. Schoolchildren go from house to house in small groups of up to 5 children and sing a song in front of the apartment doors. Both traditional and modern songs are sung. Sometimes the song is accompanied by an instrument such as a guitar or recorder . In rare cases, purely instrumental pieces are played.

After playing the song, the residents open the door and reward the children with a small amount of money. The children's groups often discuss the advantages and disadvantages of residential areas with one another and exchange tips. Residents who do not want singing stick a sheet of paper with the inscription "absent" on the door of the apartment.

history

Mainly, at least in the area of ​​western Switzerland and the French Vercors, three types of Mailieders were performed by young boys and girls when singing maize:

• Hailing songs on April 30th, which called for eggs and money to be given and which were then eaten together on May 1st. Only the male youth sang; the decorated girls (wreaths of flowers and leaves) danced to it.
• Day songs when erecting the maypole and
• Dance songs, while bouquets of medicinal herbs were burned around a kindled fire by the female participants.

anchoring

Maisingen is firmly anchored in the local political calendar. A regulation for the year 2005 of the chief magistrate of the Sense district says: "Since May 1st falls on a Sunday this year, the traditional maize singing will take place on Saturday, April 30th 2005".

See also

• Boys games
• May girl

Web links

Commons : Maisingen  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Jacques Chapand: The corn singing in Vercors. Workshop presentation by a custom carer.

• The Maisingen in the canton of Friborg

swell

1. ↑ ( page no longer available , search in web archives: uni-koeln.de )
2. ↑ ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: duedingen.ch ) (PDF).