Month: February 2017

The GAHF wishes you and your family a happy Karneval!

Karneval is a celebration in Germany that dates back centuries. Rooted in Catholic tradition, Karneval honors the final days of freedom before the solemn 40-day observance of Lent begins. Modern-day festivities begin on Weiberfastnacht and culminate on Ash Wednesday and consist of thousands of people flooding the streets in costume. Although its exact origins are unknown, the word Karneval is rumored to have developed from the Latin words “carne levare,” meaning “away with meat”. Popular in the Rhineland, this tradition is also celebrated in southern Germany as Fasching or Fastnacht. Unlike the Karneval parades that originated to mock Prussian pomp and circumstance, the Fasching parades of southern Germany stem from pagan traditions of chasing away winter.

The German-American Heritage Foundation of the USA® wishes you a Happy Presidents Day. Originally established in 1879 by Congress to celebrate George Washington’s birthday on February 22nd, this holiday now often includes all presidents.

Herbert Hoover, elected in 1928, was the country’s first German-American president. Since then, numerous presidents have had German ancestry.

Herbert Hoover had German-speaking ancestry on his paternal side and was the descendant of Andreas Huber, who immigrated to America from the Palatinate in the 18^th century. He was also of Swiss-German ancestry.