As of: January 29, 2024, 8:00 a.m
By: Raffael Scherer
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A large contingent for the parade: horse-drawn and ox-drawn carriages, flag wavers and Progoder Erdäpfekraut marched through the center of Altenerdingen together with the wedding party.
© Raffael Scherer
Many hundreds of spectators celebrate on Sunday at the historically staged Altenerdingen farmer's wedding with a large parade.
The young farmers shine as organizers.
Altenerding – After a few schnapps it was somehow easier – the wedding hosts Josef and Franz Fehlberger agreed on that and laughed.
The two of them had to interrupt the invitation they were presenting to the Altenerding Young Farmers' Association after a few lines because they had forgotten the text - although they had repeated it dozens of times in the past few weeks together with 14 colleagues when inviting the almost 700 members and guests of honor.
But after a sip of the schnapps distilled to celebrate the day, the text came back safely to them.
Nobody could have wished for better weather for the festival: in bright sunshine on Sunday afternoon, hundreds of spectators gathered around the maypole on the Hofmarkplatz right up to the cemetery walls.
The green area in front of the stands
The dirndl club and the boys' club in Langengeisling were all muddy ground.
But regardless of whether they were wearing rubber boots or just thin sneakers, the visitors' anticipation was not dampened.
After all, the farmers' wedding, staged by the Altenerding Young Farmers' Association, only takes place every ten years, the last one being in 2015. However, since the association is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2025, the farmers' wedding was brought forward a year.
At 12.30 p.m. sharp, the spectators clear the street for the magnificent parade.
The members of the young farmers' community, in historical costumes, horse-drawn and ox-carts, flag wavers and the carriage with the bride and groom - led by the Deininger brass band - pass by waving.
While the cars roll through the town, Johann Gruber, who acts as the registrar, gets ready for the wedding: “I’m really excited,” he says with a nervous smile.
A good half hour later there was no longer any trace of excitement when he met community servant Georg Bichlmaier senior.
and municipal clerk Josef Rottmeier drank one schnapps after another in front of the happy audience.
“Give us an egg,” he understood instead of “Give us an egg,” he apologizes.
“Selective hearing” is what it’s called when you only hear what you want to hear, Gruber explains to his colleagues.
The three of them spread things out neatly in a variety of directions: from the idea of their own tunnel in Altenerding, based on the Erdinger model, to the now closed Sparkasse branch - many of them get rid of their fat with humor.
Georg Bichlmaier, as the groom “Egglmoar Done von Semptbruck”, was allowed to say yes to his future wife, “Humpl Trixi vo Niedermoos”, played by Sophia Wurzer, three times due to small microphone dropouts.
© Raffael Scherer
Then the bride and groom – the “Egglmoar Done from Semptbruck” and the “Humpl Trixi vo Niedermoos”, portrayed by Georg Bichlmaier and Sophia Wurzer – enter the stage.
As they are about to exchange vows in front of the gathered relatives, the groom's microphone cuts out briefly.
His “yes” is barely audible.
Registrar Gruber doesn’t want to accept that: “How was that?
Again!” The Egglmoar Done tries again – without success.
So without further ado, the bride takes the microphone in her hand, taps it twice so that it sounds through the speakers, and pushes it back into her future husband's hand.
“Yes,” he tentatively tries a third time.
The Humpl Trixi seals the vow, which lasts until Ash Wednesday, with a loud, hearty “Yes!”, accompanied by lots of applause.
Then – like nine years ago – the progoder (wedding loader) Erdäpfekraut takes over the stage.
Accompanied by the brass band, he sings his songs to many guests, from the wedding party to the spectators to District Administrator Martin Bayerstorfer and Mayor Max Gotz, who also ride in a carriage.
At the end, the stage gets really crowded again when a good 15 young farmers ask them to wear their dirndls for the historical dance.
While the spectators then gradually go home, the party continues to the Hirschhof, where the internal wedding celebration takes place.