Let’s be clear. I am not talking in the sense of beer goggles here. Nor am I talking about just any man. I am talking my Man and spray starch. That’s right spray starch. So Superman gets his clothes laundered as a work perk. But no one irons like he does. Between me and you, it might be a bit of OCD. He got sick and tired of breathing in all the fumes making his shirts all crispy. Of course you have to look pressed everyday so what is the solution….. make your own.
Any vodka will do
Where am I going with this and vodka? Well vodka is made of potatoes which are naturally starchy. Mix it with water and viola! A great spray starch. We even added drops of lemon essential oil for a nice refreshing scent. Lavender or wild orange would work too. Superman was clear though, he was not going around smelling like flowers or being chased by bees. So lemon it is.
These are from Doterra. From L to R Wild Orange, Lavender, Lemon.
We ordered these blue glass bottles from Amazon. There is definitely science behind choosing blue or amber glass. And glass for obvious reasons. Truthfully, your new spray starch will keep better naturally in a light blocking glass bottle than anything else. These came with pretty black and chalk labels.
From Amazon
Can be found in convenient travel sizes too.
I like to remind Superman whenever he asks “does this look okay”? “Huny, you are going to be the best dressed most handsomest man there!” And I mean it. I think if I was in kindergarten they would call me a bucket filler. I mean why not send your man out the door feeling like a million bucks.
If you are going to give it a try: mix 1 part vodka to 2 parts water. Add EO by the drop to your desired scent. Breath Easy friends! This natural spray starch is going to help keep your purse loaded, although you may be down a bit on the vodka. Happy pressing!
Bavaria was hit hard by the plague. People all around had been affected by disease, death and sadness. In 1517 a tradition was born when Barrel Makers or Coopers took it upon themselves to bring joy back to the villages. They paraded through the streets with rings wrapped in evergreens and played music and brought merriment. The people knew it was safe to be back in the streets again.
Every seven years since from January 6th, Dreikönigstag or three Kings Day, to Shrove Tuesday March 5th (2019) the Schäfflertanz or Cooper Dance is performed. Our local took place this past Sunday in the Marienplatz next to St Marten’s Church at the entrance to the Fußgängerzone or pedestrian zone. It was quite an amazing and free event.
The Barrel Makers Dance has evolved into it’s present form about 130 years ago. The clowns move about mingling through the crowd whilst the dancers perform. I tried to hide as best as I could but was rounded up along with a nun, some children and several others to dance around the circle during the performance. I did not quite get the hang of it although my clown insisted it was an “English” dance. What a clown! The Schäfflertanz is usually performed by men. This particular group included 3 women who play in the band. There are traditionally 20 dancers, 2 hoop twirlers, a flag bearer and 2 clowns. Ours had quite a few more of each. They paraded into the Fußgängerzone with a full band.
barrel makers
She carries the alcohol basket
this clown made me get out there and dance
dancers
One of the things I find most fascinating about these old traditions is you see all ages participating. There is something to be said about a 500+ year old dance that is still being passed on among the younger generations.
twirlers spun the rings around with filled shot glasses in them.
The dance lasted about 20 minutes. I saw some breaking a sweat until they formed a large circle around the barrel. The barrel makers came and “hammered” the barrel. Next, two twirlers who went one after the other stood on top the barrel and twirled circles with filled shot glasses around inside of them. It was quite the feat! In the meantime a clown came round with a full bottle and poured alcohol into the mouths of every last thirsty ……dancer. I bet you thought I was going to say on looker! Once the ceremonial drinking was done, they danced back into formation and paraded away. Some of these performers live here so they mingled in with their neighbors. Some quite possibly are descendants of original performers.
Great traditional dress, great performance, many laughs, amazing tradition all for free. I can’t help but reflect on what those thoughtful barrel makers of long ago started and if they ever would have thought this lovely old tradition would still be carried on to today. Even better, we walked there. It’s 1.5 miles round trip to the Marienplatz from our house. Easy on the purse and good exercise to boot.
Another exciting event that marks the end of the plague and the sparing of an entire village is taking place in 2020. The Passion Play is a tradition acted out every 10 years in Oberammergau, Bavaria since 1633. This time around every single villager (over 2000) is set to be involved in the play. The original manuscripts date from the 15th and 16th century. It is done completely in German but non German Speakers can get translations to follow along. It runs every day from end April to October. The most recent format is 1430 to 2200 with a dinner break in between. You must have dinner reservations in order to buy a ticket. If you would like more information about how to book and attend in 2020 ask me in the comments or use the contact form.
