The flour and
sugar were all over the kitchen, but the four generations of
German women didn't care. Conversation and laughter mingled in
the air, like the smell of cinnamon and sugar that rose from the
"fasching" doughnuts they were making. As Karen
Schmieder of Pewaukee now recalls, her daughter, mother,
grandmother and herself weren't just whipping up a traditional
old country recipe that day five years ago. They were making
memories that would last long after the final sweets had been
savored.
Preparations
like these are taking place in kitchens all around southeastern
Wisconsin this month, as the families who participate in the
Holiday Folk Fair International get ready to share their culture
with nearly 60,000 visitors. For one festive weekend, all these
people will join under a giant roof of diversity and goodwill.
Polish dancers select costumes, young Arab dancers rehearse,
Norwegians arrange hand-knit mittens to be sold, women and men
cook and bake, and elders from all cultures recall histories that
will be told. All this work is worth it for the thousands of
people who represent more than 50 nationalities and cultures at
the event, sponsored by the International Institute of Wisconsin.
It is, after all, the largest annual indoor ethnic festival in
the United States.
In its 57th
year, the Holiday Folk Fair represents each nationality's
opportunity to shine with pride. And it is one of the most
rewarding times of the year for Karen Schmieder. Like the
doughnut making she remembers, Holiday Folk Fair means another
opportunity to keep cultural traditions alive and reconnect with
friends of many nationalities that she's made since her first
Folk Fair almost 40 years ago.
Family
keeps culture alive
Schmieder still
recalls her earliest visits to Folk Fair, strolling with friends
through the auditorium, purchasing treasures at the gift booths,
eating her way down the line of food stands. Her 10-year-old
daughter, Katlin, now follows in her footsteps, as she and her
Folk Fair friends pass through the State Fair exhibit halls.
Schmieder likes to see history repeat itself. Her clan is
Donauschwaben, of German and Austrian descent. Every branch of
her family tree - husband Vern, daughter Katlin, her father,
sisters and in-laws - is involved in Folk Fair. They do it all.
baking and cooking before Folk Fair, tending the food stand and
dancing.
Love of her
family's culture pounds in Schmieder's heart like the cheerful
drumbeat in a German oompah band - and she feels a responsibility
to keep family traditions alive. Schmieder's mother and
grandmother are both gone now, but memories live on - and not
just personal ones. As general chairpersons of the Folk Fair,
grandmother Catherine Koscak and mother Carol Keidl each helped
make it the far-reaching event it is today. Schmieder says she
feels her mother is still with her, guiding her as she strives to
follow in her footsteps. In addition to Schmieder's involvement
with The Milwaukee Donauschwaben, she is involved with the
International Institute's Cultural Awareness Program at Folk
Fair, a special learning program for school groups held Friday
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Learning
brings respect
Schmieder is
determined to preserve traditions - but not keep them under
glass. "Our ancestors worked at maintaining our
traditions," she said. "They could have dispersed when
they came here to America, but they didn't. I work very hard to
keep our heritage alive so my daughter can have what I
have." What Schmieder has is a sense of something bigger
than one person or a single family. "It's a sense of your
people's history, their struggles, wisdom learned from elders
that should live on. Being aware of these efforts leads to a
deeper appreciation of what we now have. It makes for a true
celebration."
Like many
families involved in Folk Fair, Schmieder has developed a great
respect for other cultures. In addition to the Donauschwaben
friends she's had since she was a child, Schmieder says
friendships have developed with people from other backgrounds,
including the Scottish, Slovenians and Serbians. To understand
the celebration that is Folk Fair - why people devote so much
time and effort to its continuation and growth - one must first
understand the journey to this welcoming place called America.
Hard-won freedom, heartfelt celebration People born here, with
inherently American privileges and freedoms, may not easily
comprehend the struggles of a people like the Donauschwaben, who
found it necessary to migrate from country to country simply to
stay together.
Originally from
the German province of Schwaben Land, the Schwabians moved over
the centuries Ñ from their native countries of Germany and
Austria to Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania and Russia. The word Donauschwaben
translates into Danube Swabian, the German speaking settlers of various
German countries, who came down the river Danube in the early 1700's on
makeshift boats starting at the city of Ulm in Swabia to resettle the devastated
and unpopulated areas of the Panonien plateau after the Turks occupation.
"We
were forced from our homeland during World War II," said
Tony Siladi of Brookfield, who was born in Croatia in 1935.
During the war, he and his mother shared one pair of shoes. Day
and night, they hid in ditches from planes and bombing. "You
never knew where your next meal was coming from," said Siladi. "We would ask the farmer if we could find anything
left over in the fields after he harvested his potatoes."
Life improved after the war, but not much. "We lived in
barracks and camps because there were so many people. There was
no future there so, in 1953, I came to America."
Siladi and his
wife, Theresa, have been active with The Milwaukee Donauschwaben
ever since. "When you came over, you go where the Donauschwaben are, and it feels like coming home," said Siladi. "You just attach to the them." For
Siladi, the
fact that a multicultural event like Folk Fair can even be held
is cause for celebration. "This is heaven. There is so much
goodwill in this country, and any nationality that does some
celebration to cherish and preserve their heritage - I give them
a big thumbs up. And this government encourages it. That's what
keeps America strong. "There are two places where people
line up to get in," said Siladi. "There's America, and
there is heaven. I don't blame people who get here and kiss the
ground." "People should not forget what they went
through, and children and grandchildren should know."
Dancing
through the year
The Donauschwaben are used to big events where people work together.
Folk Fair is an annual highlight, and this group is one of the
largest represented there. They gather for other occasions
throughout the year. The children's "Kinder Karnival,"
holiday fair, the Rosenball and the Maiball and Jaegerball dances
are just as festive. Everything takes place at The Milwaukee
Donauschwaben clubhouse northwest of Milwaukee; one event can
attract as many as 400 people. They hold monthly organizational
meetings, and four dance groups hold bimonthly practices. Karen
Schmieder attributes the Donauschwabens' vitality to its ability
to maintain social and dance groups for all ages - children,
youth, adult and couples. She realizes teens and preteens can
grow bored with their parents' brand of fun, and the various
dance and social groups address that issue. "If the children
grow up in the group, their tendency is to stay with it because
that's where their friends are," said Schmieder. "If
they've been dancing together for years, they get to be very good
friends."
Traditions
lovingly bestowed
For the
Donauschwaben and other ethnic groups, preparing their dance
costumes is a careful ritual. They are, after all, the proud,
colorful uniform of a rich heritage. And so, in the next few
weeks, women will painstakingly iron pleats until they're crisp.
Young girls will gently wash aprons until they're snow white.
Grandmas will reinforce a rainbow of ribbons, buttons and bows
until there's no doubt they'll stay in place for every twirl on
the dance floor. People will gather at the clubhouse for a week
before the big event, making goulash, sauerkraut and rollbraten.
Finally, a bevy of bakers will produce tray after tray of linzer,
black forest and mocha tortes, snowflake cookies and nut kipfel
cookies. The Schmieders will be there at the clubhouse, too,
rehearsing traditional folk dances. "There are a lot of
different ages working together," said Schmieder. "I
hope by the time Katlin reaches my age, she'll know as much about
our heritage as I've learned."
Though her
Oma,
great-grandma Catherine and grandma Carol are gone, Schmieder is
sure Katlin's paternal grandma, Elizabeth Schmieder, will
demonstrate a fine point of torte-making to Katlin. Her opa,
grandpa Emmerich Keidl, will teach her a new dance step. And just
as a Donauschwaben seamstress altered Carol Keidl's dance costume
to fit her daughter, Karen, perhaps one day Katlin will wear her
mother's best. "The Donauschwaben!" the deep-voiced
announcer will bellow, as the spotlight goes up and accordion
music swells. Then with pride, this Donauschwaben daughter will
dance on at Milwaukee's Holiday Folk Fair International.
Permission granted
to reproduce by: Becky Steimle, Senior Editor Metroparent Magazine
