Page 1 - GC-May-June-2023

A NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GERMAN-AMERICANS OF UPSTATE NEW YORK
AUSTRIA • GERMANY • LIECHTENSTEIN • SWITZERLAND
Vol. 11 No. 3 May - June 2023 Issue

Fruhlingfest celebrated as part of 90th year of Edelweiss Buffalo

by Steve Dlugosz
he beginning of the spring
season was celebrated local-
Tly with the March 25
Fruhlingfest, also known as the Ger-
man originated "spring festival," as
part of Schuhplatter-Gebirgstra-
chtenverein (SG) Edelweiss Buffa-
lo's annual fundraiser, held this time
at the Variety Club of Buffalo on
Broadway in Lancaster. This year
also marks the 90th year of SG Edel-
weiss Buffalo's existence, a mile-
stone described by members as a
reason to celebrate.
According to Heidi VonReck-
linghausen, president of Bavarian-
originated SG Edelweiss Buffalo,
the event at the Variety Club of
Buffalo was expected to attract
about 160 persons.
Participants danced to and en-
joyed the musical sounds of long-
time local favorite The Auslanders,
as the event featured mouth-water-
ing favorites such as German potato
salad and other traditional delica-
cies. Those of all ages were in atten-
dance, including Mike Zavarella of
Lancaster, who was wearing tradi-
tional Bavarian lederhosen, and his
young son.
"Fruhlingfest is a good time,"
said Zavarella. "The Auslanders
have been playing for so long, and
they haven't lost any of their ability.
People of all ages come out and
enjoy good food, good music." I was five. It's people of all ages. It's Photos by Steve Dlugosz
VonRecklinghausen and her a celebration of spring."
husband, Eric, wore matching Ba- A number of ethnic-group col-
varian outfits as well. Heidi Von- laborations have characterized Edel-
Recklinghausen was happy to see a weiss Buffalo and events that it has Germany: Immigrants made up
lively crowd out celebrating indoors been part of.
on a rainy day outside. Edelweiss Representatives of Schuhplattler over 18% of 2022 population
Buffalo typically holds its organiza- Verein of Rochester, including Vor-
tion meetings at the Variety Club, plattler James Smith and his wife
W.com: Some 15.3 tion, fit that definition, Destatis said
although March 25 marked the first Gillian, were on hand at Fruhling- million people in Ger- on Thursday, a slight increase on
time Fruhlingfest was held at the fest; as were members of the Spring
Dmany, just under one in their last tally.
site. Garden Association, including Bri- five nationwide, immigrated Germany has long been known
"It's about the camaraderie, like an Peek, a "Vereinmusikanten" of
there at some point in their for a comparatively open migration
a family," she said of Edelweiss Edelweiss and Spring Garden board lives, according to new govern- policy, partly the result of decades
Buffalo's environment and feeling. member.
ment statistics for 2022. Al- of low birth rates and a large labor
"Ninety years is a long time, and I've Edelweiss Buffalo and the most 5 million more were born market. The government is current-
been a part of it for 59 years – since Spring Garden Association are de-
to migrant parents. Image by Ralph from Pixabay ly working on a new policy de-
scribed as co-sponsors of Waldfest
Roughly 20.2 million people in signed to better attract skilled labor
in July (July 16 at Spring Garden in
Germany in 2022 either moved to Destatis counted another 4.9 from outside the EU.
Marilla) and other related events. In
the country themselves or were born million, roughly 6%, whose parents Where are the arrivals from and
relation to upcoming, regional
to two people who moved there, both migrated to Germany. why did they migrate?
Continued on page 6 according to figures published by And it noted that another 3.9 Destatis noted that people who
the Federal Statistical Office, Desta- million had one parent who was a had moved to Germany in the last
tis, on April 20. migrant though it said it was not ten years were on average younger
That's a 6.3% rise on the 2021 counting them as having a full "im- than the average native citizen, with
figure and represents 24.3% of the migration story," rather a "one-sid- an average age of 29.9 versus 47.0
total population of around 83.2 mil- ed" one. across the population.
lion. You might have seen or heard Among them, 27.9% said they
Of those, 15.3 million, or 18.4% slightly higher figures for migrant moved because they were fleeing or
of the population, moved to Germa- population size in Germany in the seeking asylum, 24.2% said they
ny from abroad themselves at some past. That's because Destatis was were looking for work, and 23.8%
point in their own lifetimes. tracking what it describes as people said they were moving to join their
The high average levels of mi- with an Einwanderungsgeschichte, families. Another 8.2% said they
gration in recent years were also an "immigration history," but it also migrated to pursue academic oppor-
apparent in the statistics. regularly reports on people in Ger- tunities.
Just over 6 million people had many with a Migrationshintergrund, There was near gender parity
migrated to Germany in the last de- a "migration background." among the 15.3 million in Germany
cade on record, between 2013 and Immigration: Germany unveils who had migrated in the last decade;
2022. plan to tackle labor shortages 47% were women and 53% men.
Increased migration from con- The statistics are separate yet The most common countries of
flict zones like Ukraine, Syria and the data also overlaps considerably. origin were civil war-stricken Syria
Afghanistan in 2022 meant that the The difference is that to classify as (16%), followed by Romania (7%)
amount of people who migrated having a "migration background," and Poland (6%), with Ukraine next
themselves was rising faster, up one or more parents not having been at 5%. Destatis noted that the unex-
7.3% on the past year, than the num- born a German citizen suffices. pected increase in arrivals from
ber of children born to migrant par- Some 23.8 million people in Ukraine in 2022 was probably not
ents, up 4% on 2021, Destatis said. Germany, or 28.7% of the popula- yet adequately represented in the
data.