Schlaraffia
Schlaraffia is a worldwide German-speaking society founded in Prague in 1859 with a pledge of friendship, art and humor.
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The Schlaraffen, an exclusively male organization, meet in midwinter once per week in their Schlaraffen castle for "Sippungen". In doing so, everyday life is satirized as well as kept alive through recitations of literary and musical forms. An antiquated language with its own vernacular for everyday things gives the Sippungen their own humorous note. The approximately 280 "Reychs" stay in close contact with one another. Each Schlaraffe is always welcome in every Reich in the world.
Reichs currently exist in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Thailand, South Africa, and Australia. The total number of Schlaraffen amounts to about 10,000. New members must be introduced by a Schlaraffe, complete a probationary period before a general vote is recorded, and start their career as a knave, which leads from the position of squire to knight.
Their 'mascot' is the eagle owl symbolizing wisdom, virtue, and humour. In 1874, the association's organ Der Schlaraffia Zeyttungen appeared for the first time in Leipzig. It still appears today several times a year.