Raddusch maypole erected at old yet new location

In the 25th anniversary year of the Raddusch local and traditional costume association, the maypole was erected on the village square as usual, but in the middle of the new dance floor. Afterwards, there was plenty of dancing into May.

The erection of the maypoles has a very long tradition, as local historian Manfred Kliche reported in his presentation to the audience, which included many holidaymakers: “It symbolizes the new season, while the wreath and ribbons are both a tribute and a wish for good growth and a rich harvest.” The tree, a birch from Raddusch, was stripped of its bark so that “old, perhaps damaging” things could be removed and not have an impact on the future.

The ribbon dance has been a tradition in Raddusch for many years. The village youth dance around the maypole with long ribbons in their hands, creating a braided pattern on the tree.

This form of worshipping the maypole has become so firmly established in the Raddusch tradition that there is now also a “dance around the little maypole”. The youngest members of the village, led by Sandy Ackermann and Anja Kienz, perform a mini ribbon dance around a mobile maypole. This is also used at other events, such as the harbor festival. Sandy Ackermann: “We rehearse every Friday at 5 p.m. in the sports and culture barn and are happy to welcome a lot of people, because our little ones are getting bigger – we are happy to accept children from pre-school age.” The beaded belt is a very special traditional costume detail that can only be seen in Raddusch. In other places, women wear ribbons, but in Raddusch they have been wearing elaborately decorated belts for over 100 years. Sandy Ackermann now makes these belts herself so that she can also equip the children’s costumes with these belts.

The highlight of the evening was of course the actual erection of the 13-meter-long maypole by 22 strong male hands. With combined strength and loud announcements, the birch was moved to its location. It’s the same as before, but now in the middle of a dance floor that was only completed this year, including two seating areas on the square.

Local chairman Udo Saaro worked with the local council to procure the materials and clarified the financing via the city’s district budget. Finally, the mobile and now dilapidated wooden dance floor was history, as it had to be laboriously erected and then removed again – just for the May dance. The 9 × 9 meter area was used for dancing until midnight, even against the cold of these days and nights. The young people guarded the maypole until the early hours of the morning to prevent it from being sawn down, as happened in 2019 – another age-old custom from neighboring communities. Perhaps they didn’t begrudge each other the wish and hope for a good spring …?

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Peter Becker, 01.05.26