???? The fall harvest was in and excitement reigned in the community! Cleaning, cooking, baking, sewing — it was time to celebrate and thank the Lord for the good crops and other blessings. Hardships, homesickness, and loneliness were forgotten, at least for a while.
???? By the fall of 1858, the Belgian settlers in this area, the first of whom arrived in 1853, were ready to celebrate. Days were spent preparing for the kermiss, a centuries old Belgian custom that is a combination of religious and secular celebration, which usually lasted for three days.
???? Their kermiss, reportedly the first in America, was held in Rosiere, Wisconsin, on the same Sunday in September 1858 that the kermiss was held in Rosiere in their native Belgium.
???? Father Daems from Bay Settlement said mass. When mass ended, a band was ready to lead the people to an improvised hall. Along the way, the procession paused and people danced on the unpaved road.
???? Dancing, eating (freshly baked bread, kaset, chicken booyah, trippe, jut, and those famous Belgian pies), drinking homemade beer, and playing games (catching the greased pig, climbing the greased pole, foot races, wrestling matches) went on for several days.
???? As the Belgian community grew, new settlements developed, new churches were built, and more kermisses were held — eventually there was a kermiss from the last Sunday in August until November, each community taking its turn. Over the years, the celebration of kermiss changed.
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