2000/11/07
Dear Family and Friends:
Hallo! Hello! ¡Saludos!
This week we welcome Waldemar R. Riefkohl to the Riefkohl Ring. Waldemar recently visited our website and wrote the following: "It's good to see that somebody is taking the time to research the family`s roots. I was born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico in 1952, and live in Gainesville, Florida. I am married to Vanessa López de Victoria and we have three children: Waldemar,Vanessa and Jessica. We also have a grandson Kaleb.
" Welcome, Waldemar. We hope to continue the research and find more information about our ancestors. We also aim to keep all the living Riefkohls in contact with one another.
Last week-end many of us celebrated Halloween and the Day of the Dead. I hope that you enjoyed your festivities. Here in Phoenix, Arizona, it was a rainy evening. That, however, did not dampen the spirits of our youngsters who were eager to go door to door asking for CANDY. Our own children were dressed as Robin Hood (Ben), Queen Amidala (Bianca), and Lady Bug (Brianna). With all the excitement, we forgot to take pictures! Oh, well, there will always be another Halloween night...
This past week-end was the day of St. Eustace, also known as St. Hubertus. He was a pagan Roman general in the army of the emperor Trajan. Converted to Christianity following a hunting trip during which he saw a glowing cross between the antlers of a stag, after which he received a prophecy that he would suffer for Christ. He was baptized with his wife and two sons, and given the name Eustachius. Denounced as a Christian, he lost his property, was reduced to abject poverty, and Roman authorities took his wife and children. However, being a capable general, he was recalled to duty by Trajan to help repel barbarians from Rome, which he did. He and his family were reunited with the expectation they would sacrifice to idols in thanks for a military victory. When they refused, an enraged Trajan ordered them thrown to the lions; the big cats played like kittens around them, so they were martyred together by being burned in a brass bull. St. Hubertus is the patron saint of firefighters, hunters, torture victims, and trappers.
And guess what our cousin Tobi was doing on the day of St. Hubertus? Well, let's hear from Tobi himself:
" It`s not an official holiday. But St. Hubertus is the patron saint of the hunters. And every year on November 3, we celebrate his name day. In Germany most of the hunters go hunting this day. My uncle Gunter is a forester at the Harz, one of the highlands in the middle part of Germany. So he invited my father (he`s a hunter,too) and me to this big hunting trip. We were 60 people who sat on the raised hides on Friday evening and Saturday morning, after that was a battue, where some beater with hounds went through the wood to chase the game to the hunters. There are hit lists for every year that have to be fulfilled and with such big huntings we try to shoot most of it on 1-2 days, so that the game isn't disturbed the whole year. Altogether we nearly did it. But this year was not very successful for my family... My father and my uncle didn't see anything; I saw a BIG deer, but I wasn't allowed to shoot him because he was too old. But it was nice to be outdoors; we saw a great sunrise!"
Tobi, thank you for sharing your St. Hubertus day with us! And for all of you out there, please email us your stories! We hope to get lots of neat stories from those who will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day in the next few weeks.
Have a great week!
Raúl