Entertainment Review:
German-Hungarians Share their Culture Hosting Three Clubs from Germany
As it is clear by our name, United German Hungarians of Philadelphia and Vicinity (Vereinigte Deutsch-Ungarn, for those who prefer), our people were Germans from Hungary. It is as simple and true as that! Thousands of words and hundreds of pages could be devoted (and have been) to this topic and this history. I leave you with only that short description as it speaks to the true heart of our people.
On Saturday August 17th our club was proud and excited to be the first stop, on a tour of the United States, for the “Banater Schwaben aus Deutschland”! The group consisting of two clubs from southern Ger-many and a Band as well joined our club and our local neighbors for SCHWABEN ABEND!
The Brauchtums – und Volkstanzgruppe der Banater Schwaben, Esslingen – Wendlingen, was founded in 1985 in Esslingen by people with roots in the Banat regions. Tanzgruppe der Banater Schwaben aus Singen, was also established in 1988 coming from various places in Banat. These two groups stand to uphold the traditions and customs of the place they came from. The band, Die “Eisenbahner Musikanten” aus Freiburg consists mostly of musicians who also come from Banat. With support of the Deutsche Bahn they were able to form this band after they emigrated, hence the name “The Rail-waymen.” Banat is the region many of these people come from. It is divided be-tween three countries, Romania, Serbia (Yugoslavia) and Hungary. It is the region that the founders of our club came from as well as many of the immigrants of the 1950s, those that became our grandparents. After all the word was in the name of our club at its founding; “The Banater Männerchor.” It is who we are.
The G.H. co-hosted this event with the Trenton and Philadelphia Donauschwaben clubs and whether a participant or a spectator wonderful times were had by all! Ger-man-Hungarian delicacies were served hot from the kitchen! Two fully stocked bars overflowed with people speaking numerous dialects and drinking cold beer and thirst quenching cocktails. Thunderous and ex-citing dance music sounded about German Hungarian Hall where polka and waltz steps could not be held back!
With a sold out crowd of over four-hundred people the performances of the evening began without delay! Our own Cultural Group opened the performances around 6:30 in the evening. The Children’s Group danced to the crowd favorite, “I See You”, a larger group consisting of all ages danced to “Drei Laidrige Strumpf.” An older group, often labeled the “German Hungarian Dancers” performed what is becoming a staple of their repertoire, a waltz to “Lüneburger Windmüller.” After lively performances from both Philadelphia and Trenton it was soon time for the Banater Schwaben to take the floor.
The two dance groups danced as one to the live band and put on a performance that can only be categorized with the terms pro-gram, show and spectacle! Broken into three parts they performed over twenty dances. The first three sets that made up the first part featured traditional dances in traditional costume.
This costume is what we call the “Kirchweih Tracht.” Girls in many beautiful pleated white skirts and colorful shawls. The women from the Esslingen group wore pink while those of the Singen group wore a light blue. The men were in black trousers and Banater wool vests. Most interestingly they wore black dress socks like the men of our club do, contrary to our friends from the mid-west who wear white!
They performed choreographed waltzes and polkas interspersed with singing, speaking and reading of poetry. Often times a small skit or some music from the band would break up the performances to allow for a costume change. In the second part of the performance they danced to a few more waltzes as well as a tango to “Kriminaltango” in more modern dresses and clothing. Then they moved onto disco and salsa numbers.
Their final set in the third part included a section called “Bayrisch” that included the Bavarian style dancing in dirndls for the girls and bundhosen for the men. Like many of the Schwowe dance groups in America and Europe they closed the evening with “Bis bald Aufwiedersehen.” A great applause and calls from the audience led them to perform an encore!
As the evening came to a close, at the hopes of our elders, the earnest call by some of my peers with Werner and Karina Fricker at the forefront, led us to dance yet again! Like all folk dancers know, the end of performances never means the end of dancing. With the iPod engaged we stepped on to the dance floor and with us we brought our new friends. The lights were dim, the music loud and partnered a German for every Ameri-can (well almost) we danced the night away. We learned by doing and we taught by doing. Soon more came and joined the ranks as we all, young people, danced together having only just met hours before! In those moments we shared a bond on the surface as dancers and performers. Though we may be have been worlds apart we gathered that night around the charm of our entertaining spirit! Deeper we come from the same backgrounds and places. We have the same ancestors and the same heritage. We celebrate the same customs and culture. (Weeks later in Detroit our friends told us that on their entire tour, Philadelphia was the only place that danced with them following the close of their performances!)
I can tell you what feelings were in the room late that evening. Whether an observer or a performer, at that time for those twenty or thirty minutes on the dance floor every single individual felt and believed that they were a Banater. And they were.
Michael Fricker
EDITOR’S NOTE: this piece was written and originally published in Monthly Progress, Volume 68, No. 9 – September 2013. It has been re-published here in 2026 with minor edits.
The group from Esslingen are coming to America again and will be with us on August on the 21. Look out for more information coming about SCHWABEN ABEND II.
Sounds wonderful. I wish that I could have seen it.
Linda, you can join us when the group from Esslingen Returns for an event on August 21!
Details here: https://ughclub.us/event/schwaben-abend-ii/