Raunächte, cribs ...
What Christmas used to be like, what’s left of it
When you think of Christmas, you probably think primarily of presents, a good festive meal, cookies, Christmas mass and a lovingly decorated Christmas tree that not only makes children's eyes light up. The stress and hustle and bustle of the Advent season fade away and peace and quiet take over. Of course, one or two Christmas traditions are also practiced on these holidays. But which traditions that used to exist are still celebrated today?
On the days leading up to the long-awaited feast, cookies are baked, a candle is lit on the Advent wreath every Sunday and people pass the time waiting for the Christ Child with punch and roasted almonds. But it wasn't always like this. In the past, the pre-Christmas period was seen as a time of fasting - today we can hardly save ourselves from punch and cookies, the latter are often sold in shops as early as August.
In the Alpine republic, the birth of Jesus on December 24th is usually celebrated by Christian families in a quiet, contemplative and above all traditional way. For many people, decorating the Christmas tree together, a festive meal with family and relatives, going to church at night and singing Christmas carols while giving presents are an essential part of the celebration. But there are many more customs.
Advent wreath
Originally, the Advent wreath was decorated with 24 candles, but nowadays there are only four. One is lit every Sunday in Advent, often accompanied by music or prayers. In many families, there are three purple and one pink candle on the arrangement. The pink candle stands for the 3rd Sunday in Advent, also known as Gaudete. The Advent wreath is often tied by loved ones themselves. Symbolically, it stands for the victory of life over darkness. In earlier years, the candles were lit on Saturday after sunset.
St. Barbara's branches
Formerly common practice, today often only in rural areas: the gathering of the branches of St. Barbara. These are traditionally cut on December 4, the liturgical feast day of St. Barbara, and placed in a vase in the house. On Christmas Eve, the branches - from an apple or cherry tree - are supposed to blossom. This is said to bring luck in the coming year. It is sometimes customary for young girls to assign the name of an admirer to each individual branch. The branch that blossoms first is said to indicate the future bridegroom - and therefore a wedding! - and thus a wedding!
Christmas markets
They are an essential part of the pre-Christmas season: Christmas markets. In the past, however, the focus was less on mulled wine, punch and children's carousels and more on the merchandise sold at these markets. It was not until the 19th century that the Christmas markets gradually became the markets we know today.
Nativity scenes
Nativity scenes are artistic representations of the birth of Jesus in a manger in a stable in Bethlehem. They are usually very ornate and designed with great attention to detail. In recent years, Austrians have therefore increasingly revived nativity scene construction. The baby Jesus, ox and donkey are meticulously carved, stables are carpentered, surrounding landscapes are designed and painted and finally set up at home. The nativity scenes are often passed on to subsequent families and treasured like a treasure.
Raunächte
Forgotten by many, others look forward to these "mystical" nights long in advance. There are twelve of them, the four best known are St. Thomas' Night (21.12.), Christmas Night (24.12.), New Year's Eve (31.12.) and Epiphany Night (5.1.). On these nights, the house, yard and stable should be fumigated ("smoking") to keep evil spirits away. In addition, no laundry should be washed or hung up on these days. A custom that is mainly practiced in Carinthia.
Hostel search
In many communities in Austria, the custom of looking for a hostel is practiced during Advent. In most cases, an image or statue of the Virgin Mary is given to a family in the neighborhood. People sing and celebrate together.
Advent on krone.at
Discover our big Christmas extra HERE
Rorate masses
Rorate services are held in almost all Catholic churches, usually early in the morning when it is still dark outside. The masses are held in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Christmas tree
For many people in Austria, Christmas is only Christmas when they can admire the Christmas tree decorated with baubles, tinsel, sweets (previously: apples, nuts and sweets), fairy lights and candles. Gifts are traditionally placed underneath it and then presented to each other. However, although the Christmas tree is an old custom - trees are said to have been decorated as early as the 15th century - it is a pagan custom that was long rejected by the church. It was not until the middle of the 20th century that it found its way into households. Today, people buy their trees from Christmas tree sales outlets; in the past, the fir trees were felled in the forest themselves. Incidentally, some families prefer a spruce instead of a Nordmann fir - which is usually "undecorated" and disposed of by 6 January.
Ringing of the bell
As soon as the Christ Child has done his work, the candles on the Christmas tree are glowing magnificently and all the presents have been placed, a little bell rings, signaling to young and old that the presents are about to be given.
Presents
If we look back at old Christmas customs and traditions, today's modern times are different, especially when it comes to presents. Today, the packages are often piled up under the Christmas trees, whereas in the past people were happy to receive little things that would no longer be worth mentioning today: A piece of chocolate, a few more cookies or a new dress for a doll often brought indescribable joy. Today, the number and size of presents often determines whether children's faces are sad or radiant.
Peace light
The peace light is a reminder of the birth of Jesus and peaceful coexistence and is the result of an initiative dating back to 1986. It is lit by a child in the grotto of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem and brought or spread to over 30 countries.
The Three Wise Men (carol singers)
Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar - each representing the continents known at the time (Africa, Asia and Europe) and the ages of youth, manhood and old age - have been going out carol singing since the 16th century. The abbreviation C+M+B, which is painted on doors and doorposts for this festival, means "Christus mansionem benedicat - Christ bless this house".
In addition to the traditions mentioned above, there are many other well-known customs in Austria, as well as traditions, processions and events that are only celebrated regionally and/or in various forms. Often not only for reasons of nostalgia, but also for superstition. However, customs are often passed down from generation to generation to prevent them from being forgotten.
Does your family have a particular Christmas tradition? Tell us about it in the story comments!
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
Kommentare
Willkommen in unserer Community! Eingehende Beiträge werden geprüft und anschließend veröffentlicht. Bitte achten Sie auf Einhaltung unserer Netiquette und AGB. Für ausführliche Diskussionen steht Ihnen ebenso das krone.at-Forum zur Verfügung. Hier können Sie das Community-Team via unserer Melde- und Abhilfestelle kontaktieren.
User-Beiträge geben nicht notwendigerweise die Meinung des Betreibers/der Redaktion bzw. von Krone Multimedia (KMM) wieder. In diesem Sinne distanziert sich die Redaktion/der Betreiber von den Inhalten in diesem Diskussionsforum. KMM behält sich insbesondere vor, gegen geltendes Recht verstoßende, den guten Sitten oder der Netiquette widersprechende bzw. dem Ansehen von KMM zuwiderlaufende Beiträge zu löschen, diesbezüglichen Schadenersatz gegenüber dem betreffenden User geltend zu machen, die Nutzer-Daten zu Zwecken der Rechtsverfolgung zu verwenden und strafrechtlich relevante Beiträge zur Anzeige zu bringen (siehe auch AGB). Hier können Sie das Community-Team via unserer Melde- und Abhilfestelle kontaktieren.