The Johannisnacht (St. John's Night) was celebrated in

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

, Germany, first in 1968 in its extended form. Besides

Mainz carnival The Mainz Carnival (''Mainzer Fastnacht'', ''"Määnzer Fassenacht" or "Meenzer Fassenacht"'') is a months-long citywide carnival celebration in Mainz, Germany that traditionally begins on 11 November but culminates in the days before Ash Wednes ...

and it is one of three big

Volksfest A Volksfest ( ; German for "people's festival")Cognate of "folk festival" in English is a large event in German-speaking countries which usually combines a beer festival or wine festival and a travelling funfair. Attractions may include amusement ...

events in Mainz. The feast was initiated to commemorate the Johannes Gutenberg who died 500 years before Gutenberg died in 1468 and was buried in the Franciscan church at Mainz, his contributions largely unknown. and to improve the image of Mainz as a town of the art of

printing Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ...

. The Johannisnacht takes place annually during four days around Johannistag (St. John's Day, 24 June). It is attended by more than 500,000 people each year.

History

Besides the sophisticated academic celebrations to Gutenberg's 500th anniversary of death in 1968, Karl Delorme, also a printer and then head of the Mainz social affairs department, picked up an old printers' tradition: to perform a public printer's "baptism", the so-called "Gautschen". This act is supposed to cleanse all sins during the apprenticeship, and to wash any remaining lead dust. Designed as a Volksfest, this was intended to foster Johannes Gutenbergs commemoration. The "Mainzer Johannisnacht" developed its own distinct character over the 50 years since. It is celebrated in the heart of the Old Town and on the banks of the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

Litérature

* Günter Schenk: ''Die Mainzer Johannisnacht''. in: ''

. Vierteljahreshefte für Kultur, Politik, Wirtschaft, Geschichte''. Nummer 2. Jahrgang 1981. Verlag H. Schmidt Mainz, p. 48–51, ISSN 0720-5945

References

{{reflist Events in Rhineland-Palatinate Culture in Mainz Johannes Gutenberg