Many ethnic events and facts are kept alive via oral repetition and song (including some of those lengthy aristocratic genealogies). This then becomes part of family custom, tradition and folklore. Below are a few attributed to the Burgenland as told to me by my immigrant relatives. I wonder how many descendant families have similar memories of Burgenland customs, tales and songs told them by their ancestors.

Burgenland Customs-

• If the new baby is a girl, violets are put in the oven so the child may never get spots on her face. The first movement of a new born child are very important. If a male and he stretches his hand toward money, he will become a thief, if he tries to hold a whip, he will make a good farmer.
• Bread, meat and eggs, carried in a basket and blessed at the church at Easter will bring good fortune.
• Sauerkraut and pork, left by the door and eaten on New Year's day will bring good luck. (The latter may have been borrowed by my people from PA-German neighbors). If you sing at the table while eating you will get a crazy wife (husband).

Croatian Village Song-
"When Croatian girls are singing, To the tamburizza'a sound, You hear ancient lays a-ringing, Every eye casts smiles around. For they're singing of Junaken, Their love's rapture and distress. Of the king's descendant, Marko*, And his wife, the proud princess."

* ed. note: Marko the Prince (Marko Kraljevich), son of Serbian, King Vukashin. A Serbian epic hero, he died at the Battle of Rovine in Romania in 1395.

I wonder how many Croatian Burgenländers who can sing this song, know who Marko was? That the song became part of Burgenland culture is indicative of racial mixing of customs and traditions, similar to Germans and Croatians adopting Magyar "Gulyas" as a favorite.
German Lullaby-Schlaff Kinder, Schlaff-I'm sure all our readers know the rest. My grandmother sang this to her grandchildren and their infant children.

Seewinkle Tale-Legend of the "Wasserstoffel"
A fish like creature lived in the Neusiedler See and was often seen by fishermen. He liked a beautiful young peasant girl who lived near by. When he heard she was to be married, he collected a large sack of frogs, snails and water snakes. He brought them to the wedding and dumped them on the banquet table, since this seemed to him to be a fine gift. The wedding gift was not well received and caused much shouting, confusion and disorder. The poor Wasserstoffel fled in despair and was never again seen by humans (but he can still be heard sometimes, splashing in the tall reeds on the edge of the lake, as he hunts for his dinner).

by G. Berghold <GBerghold@aol.com>