Border Control Workers. - VILLAGES GET UPDATED MAYPOLES IN THEIR SQUARES
On Wednesday, numerous Bavarian villages will be occupied with installing new maypoles in their town squares. The regulation of maypoles demands their stability to be consistently checked. These trees generally stand tall for about three to five years before a replacement is required. The Upper Bavaria district's Glentleiten open-air museum in Großweil is one of the places getting a new tree.
The community traditionally celebrates the installation with fanfare from brass bands, abundant food, and drinks. In certain areas, the event culminates in a "dance into May."
This tradition also entails the stealing of the maypole by nearby village residents. If successful, a "ransom" of beer and a snack is owed. To protect these trunks, adorned with white and blue paint and guild emblems, local history or boys' groups guarded them night and day.
At least fifty individuals or more are needed to put up the traditional poles. The trunks, decked out with garlands, are placed on crossed poles, Schwaiberln, Schwalben, or Scherstangen. In tiny movements, the locals raise the tree horizontally to the vertical position, locking it in place. These days, though, cranes are sometimes used to complete the job. However, men still dominate the task of raising the tree by hand, while women in dirndls have not been observed participating.
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Source: www.stern.de
