On the German North Sea island of Borkum, women are beaten with cow horns on December 5. Beating is considered a custom for the Klaasohm festival. The intention was to keep awareness of the controversial event low, but recent reports put an end to that.
“Klaasohm” is derived from the words Ohm (Uncle) and Klaas (Klaus). The hustle and bustle that takes place in Borkum every year on December 5 – like Krampus Day in Austria – is reminiscent of the Perchten in this country. Young men dress up as mythical creatures with masks and skins. They carry cow horns and use them to hunt women. If one is caught, a beating follows.
Not all residents of the island find this ‘funny’. Reports from ARD and Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) include women reporting hematomas and severe pain. The habit is “oppressive, shameful, depressing.” A man who registered as Klaasohm about ten years ago also makes himself heard. He “hit as hard as I could.” It was “like a rush,” he said, and he was “the biggest man of the night.”
Klaasohm: “Girls were limping”
The next day “you were proud to see the girls limping.” According to reports, the controversial tradition dates back to the days of whaling. When the men returned home after months at sea, they allegedly showed their wives who was in charge again.
The club is currently only accepting men and has asked that videos of the event not be distributed on social media. “To ensure that Klaasohm can remain the highest holiday and identity-building festival for the Borkum people, the level of consciousness must be kept low,” said the Borkum Association as early as 1830. This time this is no longer possible due to the latest reports in the German media.
Here you can see a message from journalist Jan-Henrik Wiebe about Klaasohm.
Demonstration for conservation
These caused both outrage and loyalty to Klaasohm. For example, on Sunday in Borkum, about 200 women demonstrated to preserve the practice. Some women were advised to simply stay at home on December 5 if they did not want to take any risks.
Even non-party mayor Jürgen Akkermann does not understand the excitement. Only ‘individual people’ commit misconduct, but the island as a whole does not tolerate violence. Women, men and children should celebrate together, both on the streets and in bars and homes.
Club apologized
However, Lower Saxony’s State Secretary at the Ministry of Social Affairs, Christine Arbogast, said: “On no day of the year should women stay at home and not dare to go out into the street for fear of being hit.” There was also a lot of criticism online. “This makes clear why a clear stand against sexism is still needed. “Why feminism matters,” one user wrote on the website
A few days ago, the Borkumer Junges Association apologized and stated that it would distance itself from “any form of violence against women”. “We as a community have clearly decided to leave this aspect of the tradition behind and continue to focus on what truly defines the festival: the solidarity of the islanders,” it said.
Here you will see a statement from the association and a map of the island.
The Borkum police have announced that they will deploy numerous troops in Klaasohm. Physical injury would only become statute-barred after twenty to thirty years, a spokesperson said. The police on the North Sea island are also currently receiving criticism. For example, it is said: how can you not notice public violence against women for years? Only 5,000 people live on the island of Lower Saxony.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
