Two Lancaster couples with German-Austrian ancestries whisked away the winter doldrums with a nod to their European roots – and paid homage to Karneval season!
Arriving guests were greeted by the flags of the United States, Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
Just when cabin fever reached its peak and we couldn’t abide another cold, gray day, the Saturday before Lent offered a reason for 50 friends to gather for a unique celebration involving fasnachts, forgiveness and flames.
Seven years ago, as Paul Fulmer’s interest in his German-Austrian ancestry grew, so did his desire to become fluent in German. Luckily, the commercial real estate executive and broker and his wife, Liz, shared a friendship with Viki Yaeger, a Lancaster resident who spent much of her youth in Austria, attending boarding school, visiting her grandmother at her Villach vacation home in southern Austria, and eventually teaching English on a Fulbright Scholarship. The “bi-lingual by culture” Viki Murphy married Henry Yaeger and returned to Lancaster. But the festive sights, sounds and flavors of the pre-Lenten Karneval season in Europe remained as fond memories for Viki.
Four years ago, the two couples decided to share their interests in the German-Austrian Karneval’s traditions with a Lancaster Fasching Party – a house party held at the Fulmers’ home that introduced guests to some of the unique forms of celebration in the days before Lent, culminating in what we know as Fat Tuesday, or more locally, Fasnacht Day.
The house party has now become a treasured tradition among the Fulmers’ and Yaegers’ friends. Authentically Austrian-German in décor and food, the evening features a unique Bavarian custom – the burning of the nubbel.
The desk at which guests could fill out “confession” slips included the story behind the tradition of burning the nubbel.
Picture a straw-stuffed mannequin, dressed in a flannel shirt and jeans, seated on a wooden chair. He is the nubbel, and he represents the sins and misdeeds that have occurred during the previous year. Guests are asked to write their transgressions on papers during the party, which are then collected into a bag, affixed to the nubbel’s hand, and set ablaze in the backyard, thus erasing one’s misdeeds and starting anew.
The fiery focal point is the party’s version of a Rhineland tradition in which the nubbel is hung in the town’s square for days, presiding over parades, rambunctious behavior by costumed citizens and a community-wide celebration that culminates with the nubbel’s burning. Then it’s time to settle down, observe Lent and once again behave oneself.
A station acquainted guests with the evening’s menu and provided a taste of bratwurst.
Travels to small towns in Germany have enabled Paul to trace his ancestry 17 generations to 1430. He also researched the “wappen,” or crests, for his and Viki’s ancestral regions. The crest flags, along with those of the United States, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, welcomed arriving guests to the house party.
The party’s menu was equally authentic: potato pancakes, bratwurst, chicken schnitzel and fasnachts were just a few of the food stations and passed hors d’oeuvres enjoyed by guests throughout the evening, prepared by Paul and local chef, Joe Moffatt.
The hosts of the party: Henry and Viki Yaeger (left) and Liz and Paul Fulmer.
A writing desk was set up for guests to record their misdeeds, which were then deposited in a bag marked “Sins” in preparation for the fiery finale.
Guests bundled up and moved to the backyard as the countdown clock wound to the zero hour. As Disco Inferno’s lyrics, “burn, baby, burn,” played, the nubbel met its glorious destiny, the bag of guests’ sins in hand.
The Menu:
- Charcuterie
- Chicken Schnitzel with lemon and hard-boiled egg
- Bratwurst with curry ketchup
- Hard and soft pretzels with mustard
- Pumpernickel with smoked salmon and crème fraiche
- Asparagus with hollandaise
- Potato Pancakes with applesauce and pomegranate
- Fasnachts with rosehip jam
Refreshed and renewed, guests came in from the cold for one more cup of cheer and, of course, a bite-sized fasnacht, elevated from the usual plain deep-fried dough by rosehip jam, made by pastry chef Amanda Herr from the Hamilton Club.
“It’s the perfect time for a party,” Paul observed. “Everyone has had enough of winter, and it’s great to get old friends together for a fun tradition.”
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