Packaging

Traditional christening ceremony for nine apprentices

Monday 26. July 2021 - Cheerful dubbing ceremony at Schreiner Group. Nine Schreiner Group apprentices were symbolically washed clean of the sins of their apprenticeship with a dip in the cool water at this years Gautsch celebration on Friday afternoon.

Not only because of the fantastic weather, they all participated with great enthusiasm and a lot of fun – after all, the Gautschen also represents the traditional graduation ceremony of the apprenticeship. For the international high-tech company, the centuries-old custom is an important highlight in the annual calendar, which could finally be celebrated again after a year’s forced break due to Corona.
Preparations for the spectacle began in the morning: first of all, the water tub in which the apprentices will later be dipped has to be filled with 600 litres of water. In the afternoon, the actual couching ceremony began. As in previous years, the Schleißheim Schlosspfeiffer opened the festivities musically before Managing Director Roland Schreiner warmly welcomed all the guests. Due to the current Corona regulations, the number of participants was limited to 100 this year – normally all employees of the medium-sized family business are invited.
Afterwards, Gautschmeister Bozidar Petrak, training officer at Schreiner Group, entertained the audience and especially the Kornuten, as the “Gäutschlinge” are called, with amusing anecdotes. Dressed in historical costumes, he read the riot act to the apprentice media designers, flexographic and screen printing media technologists and machine and plant operators with a wink and reviewed their apprenticeship period.
But the highlight of the couching ceremony was, of course, the “bath” in the wooden tub. With the support of a sponge holder and four packers, the nine Kornuten dived in one after the other in a hilarious atmosphere. Afterwards, they all received their Gautschbriefe to great applause. The tradition of Gautschen has existed since the 16th century. The journeymen of the so-called black guild, as printing is traditionally called, are washed clean of the mistakes of their apprenticeship through the baptism. After the official ceremony, everyone enjoyed a relaxed get-together in the courtyard with food and drink.
For Schreiner Group, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, preserving this old custom is both a duty and a freestyle in 2021, despite internationalisation and high-tech production. “More than 1,200 employees now work for our company worldwide,” reports Roland Schreiner. “The fact that we maintain such beautiful traditions is an important concern for me personally. Our apprentices in particular really enjoy it and look forward to it weeks in advance. For us as a family business, training has a very special significance. Even today, more than ten percent of our staff are former apprentices.”