Helga (call)
Calling "Helga!" is a running gag at German concerts and festivals.
Ritual
A person may call for a Helga;[1] others answer and create a chorus-like group effect.[2] "Helga ist tot!" (Helga is dead) denies the request.[3] Further allegations are gravestones, memorials or graffiti. The background is unknown; some point to a rather rainy Hurricane Festival in Scheeßel, where a high pressure cyclone called Helga was called for but did not arrive in time. The call is also the origin of the name for an annual prize for German festivals,[4] and is being used by a service company.[5]
References
- ^ Das Festival auf neon.de
- ^ <2004-04-14> Allgemeine Musiknewsgruppen-FAQ auf faqs.org
- ^ Julia Thiel: Das Festival-ABC auf einslive.de
- ^ "Der Helga". Archived from the original on 2014-10-09. Retrieved 2014-10-21.
- ^ Rituale auf Festivals: Götter im Dixi, erhöret uns, Spiegel 2012