16/03/2023
Many aspects of our ancestors‘ lives were heavily regulated… some of which we can relate to today.
One such aspect were the social activities that took place at the so called Rockenstube (or Spinnstube). Superficially, these places appear innocent… after all, as the name suggests these were places where women of the community congregated to primarily spin yarn in a social atmosphere sharing communal warmth, light and conversation.
However, a late evening trip to to the spinning parlour known as Rockenfahrt, was a different matter entirely. As an alternative meeting place to the tavern, the spinning parlour was often frequented by the unmarried youngsters, maids and farmhands of the community as a potential place where relationships may be kindled, often with the presence of “dance music”. However, the reputation of the Rockenfahrt was called into question due to the illicit acts of debauchery, indecency and crimes of morality which often resulted from the dances and boozy social gatherings staged at the spinning parlour… so much so, that manorial authorities sought to heavily regulate these activities. Equatable to a modern day rave perhaps?
The following is my translation of instructions aimed at village headmen regarding the hosting of “Tanzmusik” (dance music):
“No dance music may be held without the express permission of the manorial authorities and without a specific permit issued for this purpose, under penalty and on the responsibility of the village headman. How long the dance music may last on the days otherwise permitted by law is also to be determined by the manorial authorities and specified in the permit to be issued.
However, on certain days sacred to the church no dance music may be held. These days are: all Quatember and other fast days, the strict vigils before the highest feast days of the year, the Fridays and Saturdays of the whole year, then all standard days, namely the 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th of December, Ash Wednesday, the week from Palm Sunday up to and including Easter Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, Corpus Christi, then the Annunciation and the Nativity of Mary, the whole of Advent and the following days up to and including Epiphany, and finally the whole of Lent with the following week up to and including the first Sunday after Easter. Dance music is also not permitted during the Stations of the Cross.
For the permit to hold dances in villages on days permitted by law - 30 Kreuzer Conventions-Münze will be levied, which will go to the poor house.
The dance parlours are to be lit with due caution to avoid the hazards of fire or even a conflagration.
In the case of dance music, the village headman also has the obligation to ensure that no scuffles or brawls occur and that no schoolchildren are tolerated, who are to be excluded from dances according to the legal regulations.“ (Obentraut Ritter von, Maximilian. 1847: Prague)
Some manorial authorities went further and outlawed evening trips to the spinning parlour and dances altogether “die Rokhenfarth, Tantz, sollen niergendts mehr, sonderlich aber in den Würtsheüßern, gestattet werdten…” (1654 Urbar - Herrschaft Neuhaus).
