Faspa (word)
Faspa (also spelled vespa) is a Low German (Plattdeutsch) word which in High German is Vesper. Faspa is used in the cultures of Mennonites and their descendents who settled in Eastern Europe and the Russian Empire to describe a light lunch usually in the afternoon on weekdays and especially on Sunday. It emphasises the fellowship of family and friends gathering for coffee or tea, zwieback or other baked food, butter, jam and may also include cheese, cold cuts, cake and cookies. The workday in farming and other labours in rural areas was usually long. To refresh themselves through the time from noon to the end of the work day people developed the custom of taking a faspa break to stop, rest, east some food and visit. On Sundays people found it a wonderful time to travel and visit and to share a simple fare.
Faspa and its corresponding German Vesper is a word from classical Latin meaning "evening" but in standard High German can have the same meaning that the English "Vespers" has. However, in contemporary German it can also mean "break" or "brunch."
See Also: Cookery, Mennonite (American)
Bibliography
Dick, Margaret and Elsa Kettler. Off the Mountain Lake Range. Mountain Lake, Minnesota, 1958.
Faspa Country: A Herbert Story: Herbert CPR Train Station Museum, Herbert Saskatchewan. Web. 13 February 2018.
| Author(s) | Victor G. Wiebe |
|---|---|
| Date Published | February 2018 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Wiebe, Victor G.. "Faspa (word)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. February 2018. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Faspa_(word)&oldid=156804.
APA style
Wiebe, Victor G.. (February 2018). Faspa (word). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Faspa_(word)&oldid=156804.
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