For 1700 years, the Lazarus Strohmanus Historical Society has been as much a part of Jülich as the Rur and the witches’ tower. “Da weinte die Anna, Susanna, de Philepina, de Katharina – Oh, you poor Lazarus” is how the Lazarus Strohmanus Historical Society parades through Jülich on Kehraus Day, lamenting theatrically. A procession with over 300 years of tradition.
But the Lazarus brothers don’t just bring chants, to which new mocking verses are added every year, to the onlookers. As they sing in their “national song” as they march around ten kilometers through the streets of Jülich: “Op jede Eck wied er jepreck”. The eponymous patron “Lazarus Strohmanus”, the straw man called Lazarus, is thrown into the air with the jumping cloth and has to be skillfully caught again by the cloth bearers. If the maneuver goes wrong, a “round” is due. Incidentally, alcoholic refreshments in the local pubs are an integral part of the ritual. Between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., “Lazarus”, as the community is commonly called by the people of Jülich, has no fewer than twelve stations to complete. So it’s a good thing that, in addition to walking, dancing is also on the exercise plan.
Anyone who is not one of the scarf bearers joins the broom group. Shouldered in the resting position, the brushwood broom decorated with colorful paper roses has various uses: It is swung, used as an accessory for dancing and serves as a trellis. Each time it is thrown up, or “precken”, it is followed by the round dance with the straw puppet.
It is strictly emphasized that the partners are not carnivalists. Tradition is the magic word. Members around their president Hein Ningelgen do not wear a jester’s cap, but a kind of “fez” – striped in white, red and green. With a blue smock, white trousers and black boots, the “Lazarus” is fully dressed – this applies to the people as well as the puppet.
And both undress at the end of the day – the straw doll just a little earlier. After being mocked, ridiculed and thrown through the air for nine hours on behalf of all the little sinners, it is consigned “naked” to its wet grave in the Rur. Having finally sacrificed a straw man for their own fallibility, the people of Jülich celebrate one last time during the session – with a firework display.
