New Year's Eve
by Waltraud Wilhelm and Elisabeth Sadorf of Alexanderhausen
Translated by Diana Lambing

   New Year’s Eve began by attending Holy Mass. There was always a big crowd. After the priest had given a review of the past year, the births, marriages and deaths were brought to the attention of the congregation. The village inhabitants were always pleased when the number of births was greater than the number of deaths.

     We still try to keep these records today but unfortunately it becomes increasingly more difficult. Recording deaths of people from our village is generally no problem, but with births there are difficulties. The reason is often because there are fewer and fewer marriages where both partners come from Alexanderhausen. As the children are born in the new country anyway, keeping records of a community from the old country is very difficult.

     After Mass, music was played in front of the church and finally someone would congratulate us all in the name of the parish council.

     After Mass, mainly the youngsters and the newly wedded couples would go to the New Year’s Eve ball held in the local cafe dance hall and dance until the early hours.

     Of course, everyone wished everyone else a Happy New Year on the stroke of midnight. It was always great fun and the band often had to repeat a particular number when someone called out ‘Hodwood’. But there was a price to pay for this, for the person who made the request had to buy a round of drinks for the musicians! The landlord supplied the drinks before 1945, but in the years afterwards we had to bring our own as there was no longer a landlord. There was no special feast day meal.

[Published at DVHH.org, 2003 by Jody McKim Pharr]

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