Rejtowanje wo kołac - Stollen-riding

Stollen-riding is a custom of a different kind. Only in Neu Zauche, a village on the northern margin of the Spreewald, is this custom preserved in the original way. Until the middle of the last century people preserved this custom on Whit Sunday. It also used to be a part of the wedding ceremony where unmarried guests would compete for a big cake, called stollen or fruit loaf. Today it is a harvest custom that is carried out in the month of August. The festival starts with a service in the morning although many young people are no longer members of the church. The girls wear the church costume that is similar to the costume of the bridesmaid following the original wedding formalities. Above the banded skirt the women wear a colorful silk apron and around their neck an embroidered scarf. Before the competition starts in the afternoon women present the prizes for the winners at the riding place. Three stollen cakes differing in size and decorated with flowers and asparagus are awarded to first, second, and third place for men and women. The men ride in white linen breeches and shirts on unsaddled horses to determine the fastest rider. The women exchange their silk aprons with white lace aprons and compete for the three best women in pot-beating. Along with the stollen cake a big wreath of oak tree leaves is presented to the winners. Last place receives as consolation a pipe with a tobacco pouch. The festival ends with a dance in the village pub.