Kirmes? - What is it?

The consecration of a church has been celebrated since the Middle Ages as a religious festival to mark the consecration of a Christian church. In various regional dialects, the church consecration festival has been given the name Kerb, Kirb or - in the Rhön - Kirmes (derived from Kirchmesse). 
In the Middle Ages, many people came together on the consecration day. As the day of consecration was not exactly known in many places, the Kirmes was celebrated on various weekends in the aunt. In the 17th century, church leaders complained about what they considered to be excessive alcohol consumption and degenerate celebrations. This was particularly encouraged as all the neighboring villages celebrated their church fairs one after the other and the celebrations usually lasted several weeks. A request by a parish priest to ban the fair altogether was rejected in 1748. However, in order to limit the frequent celebrations, the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg decreed on February 6, 1764 that all church consecrations should be celebrated on the Sunday after St. Martin's Day. In Fulda, Wilhelm Friedrich von Oranien-Nassau moved all church consecrations to the Sunday after All Saints' Day, i.e. to the beginning of November (so-called Allerweltskirchweih) on April 13, 1804 with the same justification - the abuse of this festival
For the farmers in the countryside, these festivals had the character of a harvest festival. The harvest had been brought in and a busy year was coming to an end. This gave the men in the countryside the opportunity to forget their exertions and celebrate the success of their work over the last few months. The festivities lasted 4 days - from Friday to Monday. There was partying, singing, drinking and dancing. A regulation stated that the festival had to end on Tuesday.

Traditionally, a tree is decorated and erected in the village, around which the three-row dance is usually performed on Sunday. After attending mass, these dances, which have been rehearsed for weeks, are presented to the townspeople. The fair also elects a Ploatzknecht and a Schnapsknecht. Both are responsible for ensuring that order and peace prevail on the dance floor. The name Ploatzknecht is therefore not derived from Zwibbelsploatz, as is often assumed. The role of the Schnapsknecht, on the other hand, is clearly recognizable from the name.