intangible cultural heritage

Stories about marriage – The Wedding Traditions of the Region

area : Kulturpark Eisenstraße
category : performing arts
Around the topic of “marriage” there are a number of traditions within the Kulturpark Eisenstraße, and even within the region they can differ slightly from one another.
Before the wedding, the door is graced by a wreath (often made of fir branches) widely known as “Kranz binden” (wreath binding). In many villages on the eve of the wedding one finds “Bridal song singing” (Brautliedsingen), where most often the bride’s girlfriends surprise her with the song “The sun bows down.”

On the wedding day itself the bride and groom are awakened by “shooters” (Schießer), who shoot loud firecrackers. The groom and the wedding guests then pick up the bride at her parent’s home. Before leaving, the couple is blessed with holy water by their parents. On the way to church (or sometimes after) waits “Ospian” (closing off), the first “marriage test” for the couple. For fun they have to complete different tasks (e. g. changing the diaper on a doll) or move obstacles out of the way (e. g. sawing through a tree trunk).

After the church ceremony and the wedding dinner, the bride is finally “stolen” from her groom. Depending on the community, the “Brautverzahn” (stealing the bride) takes place before or after the arrival of “Nachgeher” (wedding guests invited to the reception after the meal). The thief first steals the bridal bouquet, and then the bride, taking her and some of the wedding guests to another tavern or a separate part of the reception to sing and drink. “Gstanzl singa” (rhyme singing) plays an important role: verses are sung first by courageous singers and the chorus is sung by everyone. To get his bride back again, the groom must complete some challenges.

Towards the end of the wedding the honour dance “Kranzlabtanzen” or “Kranzl obasingen” (a farewell circle song) takes place. In part the bride’s mother takes the hair jewellery of the bride. At the end of the wedding, the newlyweds are finally “aussi g’spüt” (played out), with the musicians leading the couple and their guests out of the reception.

In some places (e. g. in Purgstall an der Erlauf, Scheibbs, Reinsberg), there is a wedding man or groomsman, who accompanies the wedding party throughout the day, leads the “program” and with his various songs (e. g. upon leaving the parent’s home, during the “bride stealing” or the farewell circle song) sets the tone for the entire day.

In Allhartsberg the evening after the wedding, there is traditionally “Kotznmusi” (“Cat music”). These are mostly neighbours of the couple who make noise with saucepans and the like and only stop when the bride and groom, still exhausted from the busy day before, invite them in for a drink.
« back
_c_dphoto_120623_0744_hochzeit
_DSC4646_c_www.dphoto.at
Hochzeit_10_31_09_1_c_www.dphoto.at
more pictures
 
Free Joomla Theme by Hostgator