A different sort of pilgrimage

[Gerry Callaghan]

Since my camino last year I've spent some time working in the refugee camps in northern France.

While building refugee shelters in Dunkirk last month I had the great pleasure of working with two young German journeymen carpenters.

They were 'on the waltz', travelling for three years and a day to work for different employers and learn how things were done elsewhere. They wear traditional dress, a hat signifying their status as a free person, and a single gold earring.

There are lots of rules associated with being a journeyman, like not having more than five euro when you start and never coming closer than 50 km to home. It's definitely a different form of pilgrimage.

For a very interesting look at this 1000-year-old tradition see



A Fascinating Tradition: Traveling Journeymen - Understanding Germany
German journeymen at work. Image by Krabatmühle-Schwarzkollm e.V., licensed…

UNDERSTANDINGGERMANY.DE|BY JUDITH MEYER

 

[amorfati1]

Since my camino last year I've spent some time working in the refugee camps in northern France.

While building refugee shelters in Dunkirk last month I had the great pleasure of working with two young German journeymen carpenters.

They were 'on the waltz', travelling for three years and a day to work for different employers and learn how things were done elsewhere. They wear traditional dress, a hat signifying their status as a free person, and a single gold earring.

There are lots of rules associated with being a journeyman, like not having more than five euro when you start and never coming closer than 50 km to home. It's definitely a different form of pilgrimage.

For a very interesting look at this 1000-year-old tradition see



A Fascinating Tradition: Traveling Journeymen - Understanding Germany
German journeymen at work. Image by Krabatmühle-Schwarzkollm e.V., licensed…

UNDERSTANDINGGERMANY.DE|BY JUDITH MEYER

thank you for this. will also read up on the link.
yes - it's quite a tradition. college is not not ever the only option. in those professional channels - one is first an apprentice , then journeyman, then can study with another master perhaps to become a master of the trade him/herself....after being tested / reviewed by other 'masters'.
when you read books by Hermann Hesse or others, encounters with journey men is often described - i love that they still wear the traditional outfits.
(after i completed my apprenticeship w/ diploma, i sort of ... became a "journey woman" ... but not for long.
it's a most interesting lifestyle - thanks again for sharing - happy for your that you had those encounters...

 

[mspath]

In France such highly skilled workmen are known as Les Compagnons de Devoir. Read here in French more about their long history, tradition and contemporary training which includes a Tour de France.

For a good English account of the Compagnons see this Wiki article.

Reading these accounts you will discover several parallels between compagnonnage and the life of a pilgrim. For example Compagnons also carry a staff and are itinerent.

 

[HeidiL]

I've seen them around a few times - thank you for telling me what it's all about. I just thought they were going to some kind of folk-dancing festival...