Genuine customs in the Fuschlseeregion

The first day of the new year is celebrated on 1 January. In some places there are New Year's concerts and New Year's fireworks. Further information on events in the Fuschlsee region can be found in the events calendar.

Around Epiphany, the Three Wise Men are out and about in the communities of the Fuschlsee region. The children from the Catholic youth organisation are dressed up as the three wise men from the East and ask for gifts. They also bring the blessing into the house. The blessing C+M+B (Christus Mansionem Benedicat) is then left at the front door, which means "Christ bless this house". In some places, music groups are also on the road and provide beautiful sounds in the houses.

Carnival officially begins on 11 November at 11:11 am. But the highlight is around Shrove Saturday, Rose Monday and Shrove Tuesday. But even before that, the Fuschlsee region is already full of action: there are glittering ball nights and colourful carnival parties.

Carnival officially begins on 11 November at 11:11 am. But the highlight is around Shrove Saturday, Rose Monday and Shrove Tuesday. But even before that, the Fuschlsee region is already full of action: there are glittering ball nights and colourful carnival parties.

Palm Sunday marks the start of Holy Week. The festival commemorates Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. While palm branches lined the path of Jesus in the Middle East, the custom of palm bushes originated in the Alpine region. The palm bushes are traditionally brought to church a week before Easter Sunday, i.e. on Palm Sunday, and consecrated there. The consecrated palm bushes are then intended to ensure a good harvest, health, protection from bad weather and illness in the home and yard. Click here for more information about Palm Sunday.

Easter is not only the most important festival of the Catholic Church, but also the start of spring and the awakening of nature. If you spend Easter in the Fuschlsee region, you may come across one or two Easter customs that you don't recognise from home. Here is a brief overview of traditional Easter customs that are practised in the Fuschlsee region.

On 1 May, the maypole is erected in the communities of the Fuschlsee region. The peeled tree, which is decorated with wreaths, garlands and ribbons, is erected by the local associations on a central square in the village. It is a symbol of fertility. The custom is accompanied by a convivial celebration with lots of music, fun and courageous maypole climbers. The dates for the maypole erection can be found in the events calendar.

When it comes to getting married, there are still some old customs in the Fuschlsee region that are still practised. We reveal a few wedding customs to you: A very beautiful custom on the eve of the wedding is the singing of the bridal song. The friends visit the bride-to-be at home and sing the traditional bridal song. "Have you tested your heart, aren't you joking? It's the last night, young bride beware!" This is a reminder that the decision to say YES should be made out of love.

It starts early on the morning of the wedding and the news that a wedding is taking place today can be heard far beyond the borders of the municipality. The wedding marksmen let off loud salvos from their pillory guns early in the morning. Because today is a day of celebration!

At the reception, every wedding guest receives a wedding bouquet. If you're married, you pin the pretty little bush on the right-hand side, if you're still available, on the left-hand side. This is important information if you are still looking.

After the wedding ceremony, large wedding celebrations often take place in the Fuschlsee region. After the official part of the wedding is over with the cutting of the wedding cake (whoever has their hand up is apparently supposed to "wear the trousers" in marriage too), the bride may be stolen. This is usually done by the groom's friends and is a real highlight of any wedding. The bride stealing (bride kidnapping) involves a lot of wine, music, singing and dancing. Dear bride, take care of your bridal bouquet! If someone manages to steal the bridal bouquet, it must be released by the bride and groom.

At large weddings, there is usually a "wedding charmer" who acts as master of ceremonies throughout the day and reads out an "abdication" or "call" at the end of the wedding day. In it, he tells funny anecdotes about the entire wedding party.

The wedding ceremony ends musically with the bride and groom "playing out". If the bride and groom are not yet tired, they are happy to celebrate again with the wedding party until the early hours of the morning.

More information about the romantic holiday.

Ascension Day is a Catholic holiday that is celebrated 40 days after Easter. This day is also popularly known as "Ascension Day" because it symbolises the return of Jesus to the heavenly Father, i.e. the Ascension.

Corpus Christi is a Catholic holiday that commemorates Jesus' last supper with his disciples before his death on the cross. The feast is always celebrated on the second Thursday after Pentecost. During the Last Supper, Jesus transformed bread and wine into his body and blood and instructed his disciples to do so in remembrance of him. This is recognised today in the sacrament of the Eucharist. In the Fuschlsee region, beautiful processions take place on Corpus Christi, which guests should not miss.

Pentecost is a Christian festival that is celebrated 50 days after Easter. Many see Pentecost as the birthday of the Christian church. On Pentecost, believers celebrate that the Holy Spirit gave the disciples the power to take the gospel and the message of Jesus Christ into the world.

On 21 June, the calendar marks the beginning of summer. When the longest day meets the shortest night of the year, it is the summer solstice. Here in the Fuschlsee region, this is celebrated with the lighting of midsummer bonfires. There are also some myths surrounding this tradition. You can find out what this tradition is all about here.

On 15 August, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary is celebrated in the Fuschlsee region. This day commemorates how the Mother of God was taken up to heaven. It is said that when the disciples opened Mary's tomb, they found no body but only rose petals, lilies and medicinal herbs. This is why the consecration of herbs traditionally takes place on this day. In some communities in the Fuschlsee region, bunches of herbs are tied on the days before Assumption Day. The bushes are blessed in honour of the Virgin Mary at the consecration of herbs in the church on Assumption Day.

Thanksgiving is usually celebrated at the end of September or beginning of October. It is a special church festival in which thanks are given to God for the rich harvest. During the solemn processions, beautiful harvest crowns made of grain and flowers are carried through the parishes. The crowns are then placed in the churches. After the procession, there is often a party with traditional music where everyone can come together and celebrate.

The Harvest Festival is THE big traditional festival in the Fuschlsee region. From August to November, everything in the Fuschlsee region revolves around customs, tradition, rural cuisine and traditional crafts. Everyone can take part in the Harvest Festival as part of farm and harvest festivals, cattle drives, musicians' gatherings, hikes and craft courses. In addition to the big farmers' autumn village festival in Faistenau, there are other festivals, traditional and culinary events not to be missed.

When autumn begins, usually in mid-September, the cows are brought back down to the valley from the mountain pastures. If everything has gone well and no animals have been lost or injured, the cows are decorated with flowers and wreaths and led back down to the valley in a ceremonial manner with the ringing of bells. The cattle drives in the Fuschlsee region are great days out for the whole family. You can find all the dates for the cattle drives in the Fuschlsee region in the events calendar.

Every year on 24 September, the entire province of Salzburg celebrates its patron saint, Saint Rupert. On the traditional Rupertikirtag in the city of Salzburg, a joyful festival is celebrated around Salzburg Cathedral with traditional folk music, craft demonstrations, fairground rides, a marquee, beer garden and a great programme.

Liachtbratlmontag is a custom from the Salzkammergut region. On this day in autumn, artificial light was used at work for the first time. This meant that businesses saved money during the summer months and the foreman gave his employees a "Bratl" (= roast).

National Day in Austria is celebrated on 26 October and commemorates the day in 1955 when Austria declared its neutrality. It is an important day to celebrate the country's independence and sovereignty. National Day is a public holiday.

4 December is St Barbara's Day. It is the feast day of St Barbara, who is also the patron saint of miners. On St Barbara's Day, it is customary to cut fruit branches and place them in water in the parlour. If these bear blossoms by Christmas, great luck is in store.

The Krampus (Knecht Ruprecht) must not be missing from the customs surrounding St Nicholas. St Nicholas visits the children with the Krampus and brings presents to the good ones. Children who have not been so good sometimes get a reprimand and are a little intimidated by the Krampus. The joint appearance shows that good always triumphs over evil, because in the end Krampus has to obey St Nicholas. In the Fuschlsee region, in addition to the house visits by St Nicholas and Krampus, there are also numerous Krampus runs where you can admire the scary Krampus masks. The dates can be found in the events calendar.

8 December is "Mary's Conception". This is a Catholic holiday in Austria. The "Immaculate Conception" means that Mary conceived Jesus through the Holy Spirit, i.e. without original sin. This day is an important holiday in the Catholic faith. It emphasises the purity and holiness of the Mother of God.

The winter solstice is on 21 December. This is the longest night and the shortest day of the year. This day is also the first Rauhnacht and we celebrate St Thomas' Night. This goes back to the "unbelieving Thomas", who doubted the resurrection of Christ for the longest time. In the Alpine tradition, there is a custom associated with St Thomas' Night: girls who want to get married turn to St Thomas at the "Bettstaffltreten" to get clues about their future husband. "Bettstatt i tritt' di, Herrgott i bitt' di - lass ma im Tram erschein', den Allerherzliabstn mein'" - this is the saying that is supposed to help the oracle.

In the Fuschlsee region, Christmas is celebrated with the family on Christmas Eve, 24 December. The festively decorated Christmas tree stands in the parlours of the houses and presents are given to the children and loved ones during the festive gift-giving. Many families make music on Christmas Eve and sing traditional Christmas carols such as "Es wird scho glei dumpa" or "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht". Then it's off to Christmas mass. In some areas, the mass is followed by mass soup with unboiled sausages. 25 December is then Christmas Day. On this day, the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated. The 26th of December is St. Stephen's Day.

31 December is the last day of the year. In the Fuschlsee region, this is of course celebrated in style.

Many shots can already be heard during the day on New Year's Eve. This is because the traditional star shooting takes place on New Year's Eve, in which a total of 40 shooting companies from Flachgau, Tennengau and the city of Salzburg take part. Some communities from the Fuschlsee region are also taking part. The firing starts at 3.00 pm: the salvos start from the furthest point and come closer and closer in increasingly narrow circles until they finally arrive in the city of Salzburg. There, the shots thunder down from the Salzburg city mountains and reach their finale on the Staatsbrücke at around 4.15 pm.

Whether at a private celebration or a large New Year's Eve party: the old year is bid farewell and the new year welcomed with small and large fireworks displays.