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AUSTRIAN TRADITIONS

EXPLAINED: Why is January 6th a public holiday in Austria?

There are no less than 13 public holidays in Austria, and the first one of the year - besides January 1st, is January 6th. But why is it a public holiday?

Published: 5 January 2023 17:32 CET
EXPLAINED: Why is January 6th a public holiday in Austria?
Carolers dressed as the three Wise Men sing on January 6, 2012 in Bad Kleinkirchheim, some 300 kilometers south-west of Vienna. AFP PHOTO / DIETER NAGL

In 2023, January 6th falls on a Friday, giving people in Austria their first long weekend of the year.

Like most national holidays, this one also has religious roots – more specifically, Catholic roots. On January 6th, Catholics celebrate the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ, hence the name Epiphany, and a celebration of the “adoration of the Magi” when the three kings visited the newborn Christ.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How to maximise your annual leave in Austria in 2023

In Austria, the holiday is known as Heilige Drei Könige, or three holy kings. 

How do Austrians celebrate it?

There are several traditions happening on this date. If you have your Christmas decorations and Christmas tree up, this is usually when people take them down and pack them up for the year. 

However, the most common tradition is the Sternsinger (star singers), a group of young people that travel from door to door dressed as kings and singing in four-part harmony. If they knock on your door, they may sing, bless your home – and expect a donation for a cause organised by the churches. 

READ ALSO: Austrian traditions: How to celebrate St. Martin’s Day in Austria

If you live in Austria, you’ve probably seen a house or another with chalk marking just above the door. This means that the house was blessed by the Sternsinger, who then marked the year of the blessing and the initials of the three kings – Kaspar, Melchior and Balthazar – over the doorway. 

Religious families may also attend a solemn mass at the church and have a big family meal to celebrate the date.

For Orthodox believers, January 6th is also Christmas eve.  This is based on the fact that Orthodox Christians use a different calendar.

READ ALSO: Why everything in Austria is closed on Sundays – and what to do instead

As it is a public holiday, most stores and supermarkets will be closed. However, restaurants are still open, and if you find yourself with an empty fridge, convenience stores in petrol stations and supermarkets inside train and metro stations are still allowed to open in Austria, even on public holidays.

When is the next public holiday?

After Friday, people in Austria will have to wait a while for the following public holiday, as there are no official national ones in February or March. However, Easter Monday (again, a Christian celebration) will fall on April 10th.

As this holiday always is celebrated on Mondays in Austria, it will give you another chance to enjoy a long weekend.

READ ALSO: COMPARE: How do Austria’s public holidays stack up against the rest of Europe?

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Austrian culture: Five mythical creatures to look for across Austria

Going hiking in Austria this summer? Legend says you might run across some folklore creatures from helpful spirits to shaggy, horned devils.

Published: 30 July 2024 14:32 CEST
Austrian culture: Five mythical creatures to look for across Austria

Here are five creatures that Austrian myth and legend suggest you could meet on your next hike.

Salige
What: Helpful spirits in human female form
Where: Tyrol and Carinthia

Let’s begin with a fairly benign being.

According to Tyrolean and Carinthian legend (as well as in neighbouring Italy), the Salige are helpful spirits who appear as maidens in white.

Making their home along the banks of the River Drau, the Salige are said to help communities experiencing hard times or direct lost travellers home.

Artistic depictions of these helpful spirits—particularly since the beginning of the 19th century—have depicted them as naked or near-naked in diaphanous flowing gowns.

Some depictions have also showcased their supposed ability to transform into other creatures, particularly white doves.

The Salige tradition is very old, perhaps dating back to the Bronze Age or earlier when reverence for mountain spirits constituted the religious tradition of tribal groups throughout the area.

Sennentuntschi
What: Animated straw dolls hellbent on revenge
Where: Vorarlberg, Tyrol and Carinthia

The next creature on the list is a slightly more malicious entity.

Myths across southern Austria’s mountain regions tell of lonely shepherds who created a straw doll for, shall we say, ‘entertainment’ during their long summer sojourns.

Inevitably, as these legends go, the straw doll comes to life as a Sennentuntschi, an entity that punishes the shepherds for their sins. This often happens in a quite spectacularly gruesome fashion, such as taking their skin.

In fact, a recent horror film set in neighbouring Switzerland told a variation of the legend to box office success.

The idea of a doll seeking revenge for supposed sexual sins has deep roots in mediaeval Catholic morality, with a healthy dose of earlier pagan tradition, in which idols figured prominently.

Lindwurm
What: A really big dragon
Where: Carinthia – Klagenfurt, specifically

The legend of the Lindwurm is big business in the Carinthian capital. In the centre of town, you’ll find the Lindwurmbrunnen, which supposedly marks the site where a mighty dragon was brought down.

While there are many variations to the story, most tell that sometime in the far, far distant past, the dragon terrorised the shores of the Wörthersee, stealing cattle and terrorising the townsfolk.

Eventually, a bull on a chain was used to bait the monster, and a vicious battle ensued, ending in the dragon’s death. Depending on who you believe, St George was even involved in the fracas.

While this is a common legend across much of central Europe, the discovery of a woolly rhinoceros skull in a nearby quarry in the 14th century captured the local imagination.

The people of Klagenfurt interpreted this as the dragon’s skull and pointed to it as proof, attracting attention – and visitors – to the city.

By the 16th century, when the fountain was built, the lindworm was an essential part of the city’s identity, even featuring on its coat of arms.

While Klagenfurt is reportedly completely dragon-free these days, we’ll nevertheless suggest that you keep an eye out for hiking around the Wörthersee. 

Habergeiß
What: Three-legged billygoat with feathers
Where: Austria-wide, particularly around Salzburg

If you’re hiking through farmland, particularly near fields of wheat or corn, keep an eye out for Habergeiß, demonic entities who lurk within the stalks, seeking children to kidnap.

The first you’ll know of their presence is a strange, high-pitched bleating that is distinctly unnerving, it is said. Other legends suggest that the calls are somehow inviting and cause children to venture into the crop, never to be seen again.

While there’s much online debate about whether the Habergeiß is a callback to the pagan worship of nature spirits, many agree that tales of the creatures were a great way to keep children away from crops where they could damage them or injure themselves.

The Habergeiß is also a feature of Christmas traditions, most prominently around the Salzburg region, where it accompanies figures such as the last creature on our list.

Krampus
What: A shaggy, horned devil
Where: Austria-wide

No discussion of Austria’s mythical creatures is complete without including the Krampus, a horned demonic being who counters the benevolent St Nicholas.

The Krampus carries a whip or a stick, which it uses to beat or tease naughty children, and a sack for carrying them off to parts unknown.

Krampus appears around Christmas time, accompanying St Nicholas on his visits to children, and in some cases participating in parades throughout Austria to usher in the season.

Most scholars that the Krampus first began to appear as a figure to frighten children in the 17th century, when plays were used to instruct and encourage good behaviour.

However, there are definitely links to an older pagan tradition of mountain spirits and fertility gods, which existed in alpine country for thousands of years.

That said, if you’re approached by a smelly, hairy, towering figure on the streets in the colder months, odds are that you’ve met Krampus, so it’s a good idea to be polite and wish them well.

Do you know any mythical Austrian creatures that we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments!

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