Holidays and Traditions
Did you know that Austria is the EU leader in official public holidays per year after Malta? There are 13 public holidays in a calendar year.
Important traditions
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” Austrians take it quite literally. Christmas in Austria is typically celebrated on December 24th, Christmas Eve, when not Santa Claus, but the baby Jesus Christkind brings gifts. However, the season’s celebrations start long before that. Austria is globally known for its many lovely Christmas markets, such as the Wolfgangseer Adventmarkt in Salzburg and Upper Austria, and the market in front of Vienna’s city hall, surrounded by a vast ice skating wonderland that snakes through the surrounding park. Austrian Christmas markets are filled with stalls where you can find a comforting mug of spiked punch, mulled wine, and a mixture of both traditional Austrian savory dishes and desserts.
Santa Claus may not be traditional in Austria, but St. Nicholas comes to visit on December 6th. Children believe that if you’ve been good, St. Nicholas will bring you chocolate and peanuts, but the birch switch-wielding Krampus, a horned, hooved devil with matted fur and adorned with noisy chains and bells, will visit those who have misbehaved. Krampus is also featured strongly in the Alpine Perchtenläufe, traditional processions where an entire squad of performers in goat hides and grotesque masks wreak havoc in the streets – until St. Nicholas calls them back.
Other important traditions
The Vienna New Year’s Concert is a tradition going back to the early 20th century. The Vienna Philharmonic orchestra performs with a guest conductor on January 1st every year at the famous gilded Musikverein concert hall in Vienna. This event is broadcast around the world.
Easter traditions in Austria are a mix of Christian, pagan, and cherished traditions that bring joy. From the classical colored eggs and the Easter Bunny hiding gifts for children to Eierpecken (a game of crashing hard-boiled eggs into one another), the evening Easter bonfires or the mouth-watering (meat, eggs, horseradish), there’s plenty to discover for everyone.
A Maibaum, or maypole, is a longstanding tradition in Austria. Erected on the 1st of May, people dance around it accompanied by brass band processions through country towns.
