Hangen-Weisheimer Sommerwende (Summer Solstice of Hangen-Weisheim)

How dexterous, the plough

A Scandinavian custom in Rheinhessen? No, quite wrong. At the summer solstice, the sun is highest above the horizon at noon. But this fact and the Scandinavian festival have nothing whatsoever to do with the name. The location was first mentioned in a document in 1769 with the name "in der Sommerwindt". The name is based on a contraction of "Sommer" and "Anwende". Anwende" refers to the narrow side of the field where the plough is turned. A wide variety of grape varieties thrive on loess. Hangen-Weisheim, by the way, is abbreviated to "Ha-Wei" in Rheinhessen. Aloha!