The "journeyman years" - a medieval tradition for apprentices that exists to this day

[DetlefK]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journeyman_years

(article in german)
http://www.spiegel.de/karriere/berufsstart/wandergesellen-letztes-grosses-abenteuer-auf-der-walz-a-1054643.html

It's a german tradition dating back to medieval times, nowadays still practiced, but rare. It's only practiced in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Sweden.

After finishing your apprenticeship, you may go "on the walz". You travel from town to town, from workshop to workshop, learning many different trades of your craft. This tradition exists for carpenters, masons, brewers, saddle-makers, painters, chimney-sweeps, mechanics, tailors, shoe-makers, stone-cutters...

- You must be a certified craftsman-apprentice, younger than 30, unmarried, child-less and debt-free. Nowadays, a police-clearance is also required.

- You start out with 5 Euros, 3 spare shirts, 3 spare underpants and 3 spare pairs of socks. You are not allowed to pay for your travels or for stays in motels and such. At the end of your journey, you are expected to return with no more and no less money than 5 Euros.

- To signify that you are a "wandering apprentice", and not a vagrant, you wear a traditional garb: Black bell-bottom-pants, white button-down-shirt, black vest, black jacket, black hat, a golden ear-ring, a walking-staff and a typical backpack called "Charlottenburger" (named after the town Charlottenburg). Additionally, there's a code of behavior. This serves as an insurance that people know what you are and that you are trustworthy. Wandering apprentices sometimes get meals and drinks for free and can stay the night for free.

- Your most valuable property is your "Wanderbuch" (wandering book). It serves as a diary and proof of your journey, as your ID, and it replaces the usual residence-registration when moving to a town.

- You are not allowed to come closer to your hometown than 50 km except in matters of live-and-death. You are not allowed to stay in a town for more than a fixed time (depending on the guild, e.g. 6-18 months). There is a minimum-amount of years your journey must last before being recognized.

- There are secret rules and traditions, e.g. a secret hand-shake to reveal impostors. The traditional ritual for piercing your ear for the ear-ring involves lots of booze (for drinking and desinfection), a bar-counter and a nail...

- You travel by foot or hitchhike. You are not allowed to use public transportation.



In the article above, a wandering apprentice from Germany notes how he was in Poland, Portugal, the Mediterranean, Cuba and the southern Arctic. He wants to go to Iceland before his journey-years are up.
A commenter wrote that he once saw a wandering apprentice in Bangkok.

A quote from the article: "When the postman greets you by name and when the neighbour's dog no longer barks at you, then it's time to move on."