Ticki tocki ticki tocki hoy hoy hoy!
If you don’t know what that means, you’re probably also unaquainted with the lederhosen and dirndl.
After a 30-year absence, Windsor is getting a Maifest — a traditional Bavarian spring festival — and what better way to draw attention to it than to go for the Guinness Book of Records?
An estimated 200 people will gather during Maifest at the Teutonia Club on May 4 to attempt to break the record for the most people taking part in a maibaum — aka maypole — dance.
“We were looking to hold this traditional event for the past couple of years and we wanted to kind of make an impression with it and since it hasn’t been done in Windsor before, we thought maybe if we could break some sort of world record it would be kind of cool,” said organizer Ryan Stiller of the Bavarian Club of Windsor.
“So we looked it up and the world record seemed reachable at the time and we thought hey, let’s go for it. Try to break the world record.”
The current record for maypole dance participation is 173, set at Hurst Community College in Baughurst, England, of all places, last July.
“You have to contact Guinness to find out what the requirements are for breaking the record and you have to put together a lengthy application to make it worth their while to break the record,” said Stiller.
Those attempting to break a record must provide video and photographic evidence of the event and written testimonials from participants.
The Bavarian Club, which formed 11 years ago and has 30 members, has been hoping to resurrect the local Maifest, which last took place in Windsor 30 years ago.
The last time the maypole dance was performed here was in 1975, Stiller said.
The call was put out to members of Bavarian clubs across Canada and the U.S., and there was a positive response. There will be representation from as far east as Ottawa and as far west as Iowa.
All those taking part in the record attempt will be dressed in traditional Bavarian attire, lederhosen (leather pants) for the men and dirndl (traditional dress) for the women, and will perform a dance known as the seven step around a blue and white maypole to be erected just west of the Teutonia Club building. The dance must take place for five minutes to be accepted for the record.
The 50-foot tall maypole will be erected according to tradition with nothing but manpower, no modern machinery allowed.
There is a maypole dance that involves the participants carrying ribbons attached to the top of the pole, but the group decided against that.
“We’ve seen that attempted with a lot of people and that gets really messy,” said Stiller.
Applications are still being accepted to participate in the world record attempt and can be submitted online at maifestwindsor.com. The website also details other events at the festival.
The maypole dance and festival date back to the 16th century in Austria and Bavaria, which is now a southern German state.
The festival runs from May 2 to 5 and will feature traditional German food, drink, dancing and live bands.
Tickets are $10 for anyone 13 and older, $5 for children between five and 12, and children under five are free. There is also a VIP weekend pass available online for $25. All can be purchased online at maifestwindsor.com.
Members of the Teutonia Club pose for a photo near a stake that marks the location for their maipole in Windsor on Tuesday, April 23, 2013. The Bavarian Club of Windsor will be trying to break the Guinness Book of World Records mark for the most people taking part in a May pole dance on May 4 as part of their Maifest celebrations. (TYLER BROWNBRIDGE/The Windsor Star)
Members of the Teutonia Club dance near a stake that marks the location for their maipole in Windsor on Tuesday, April 23, 2013. The Bavarian Club of Windsor will be trying to break the Guinness Book of World Records mark for the most people taking part in a May pole dance on May 4 as part of their Maifest celebrations. (TYLER BROWNBRIDGE/The Windsor Star)