| Notes |
- BIOGRAPHY: From Janice Huber Stangl (TSTANGLSR@AOL.COM )
My father, Edward Huber, was born in 1907 near Hosmer, SD. He spent his early childhood north of Leola, SD. He is the son of Jacob J and Magdalena (Hoff) Huber and the grandson of Jacob and Rosina (Ritter) Huber of Glueckstal, Russia and Jacob and Magdalena (Ladner) Hoff of Kassel and Glueckstal, Russia. Today he lives in Bowdle, SD.
His first memory of Christmas in the home was a visit from the "Belzmoettl" [spelling?] and "Christkindl". Belzmoettl was outfitted in a big fur coat and hat with a scarf obscuring most of his face. He patted children on the head when he gave them some candy and nuts. Christkindl was disguised by a white bedsheet with a gilded garland around the waist and head. Christkindl also bestowed nuts, fruit and candy on the children.
One year my father was safely positioned behind the wood stove trying to keep toasty warm. When Christkindll appeared it startled him, even frightened him! He stuck out his tongue at Christkindl! The Christkindl promptly flicked him on his leg with a lean twig from near the stove. This incident gave him great awe and respect for the Christkindl!
When he was older he deduced that the big fur coat was his Dad's bear fur coat. It was several years more before he had identified the household's Christkindl--his mother!
It was later, in his adolescence, when there were several younger siblings in the household that they received visits from "Belzneickel" and "Christkindl" at Christmas time. Was this later, "Belzneickel" [St. Nicolas] a product of the growing Americanization of the older generations, or "borrowed" from their German Russian neighbors, who might have had a slightly different Christmas tradition from their village in Russia?
One of the Christmas traditions of my father's [Edward Huber] family that continued into my generation, was the preparation and presentation of the Church Christmas program. The event's excitement would start on Thanksgiving weekend, when the children were given their "spreckly" [a poem or bible passage] to memorize for the Christmas Eve event.
There was an air of grand excitement as the families gathered at the Church for the program. The tree in the Church [of my father's childhood] was adorned with wax candles that were lit. The sight was breathtaking for the children, since they did not have a tree at home that my father can ever remember. The Church was packed to nearly overflowing. The nearest water pump was about two miles away, but there was never a fire. The Guardian Angels surely were very busy!
As the program was being presented, it seemed that the older boys suffered the most. Their faces were flushed and one could see their pant legs shaking from their nervously knocking knees. Once they had recited their "spreckly" there seemed to be a great sigh of relief. Of course, the whole program was in German. The stars of the program were usually the youngest [about 3-4 years old] who had only one or two lines and had no trouble remembering their lines, but may have run off the stage when they were done.
After the program was over, every child in the Church received a "seckly" [small sack] from a pile that was under the tree. The sack usually had assorted nuts, candy and a piece of fruit. The tradition of the "seckly" was carried on in our Church until at least the 1960's. When we visited my parent's EUB Church in Bowdle, SD, on Christmas Eve, our own children each received a Christmas "seckly".
CENSUS: 1930:
Name: Edward Huber Age: 22 Estimated birth year: abt 1908 Relation to head-of-house: Son Father's Name: Jacob J Huber Mother's Name: Madgline Huber Home in 1930: Hosmer, Edmunds, South Dakota
|
1907 - 1998 (91 years)