Austrian Holiday's

I’ve gotten a lot of questions lately about how Halloween is celebrated here in Vienna. It got me wondering what other holidays are celebrated here, what some of the traditions are, and the meaning behind each holiday. So I did some research and thought I’d share some of the information I have learned with you!

Austrian National Holiday

The first holiday I experienced while in Vienna took place on October 26th and is a National Holiday for all of Austria. On this day Austrians celebrate their country’s declaration of permanent neutrality after World War II and its regained status as an independent and sovereign nation in 1955. On this holiday you can expect to find the Austrian national flag present throughout the country, memorial ceremonies being held, federal museums offering free entry and state institutions open for visitors. Offices, banks, schools and businesses are closed.

Halloween

Although Halloween is not a traditional German celebration, every German child knows about it. This holiday has become more and more popular over the last decade. Because of the long post-war presence of Americans in Germany and Austria, Halloween has long been known in these countries. Halloween is an American holiday taken from Ireland traditions and has now found its way back to Europe. Halloween became popular specifically because businesses could make a huge profit

from it. Very few children actually participate in trick-or-treating but the idea of Halloween parties has become very popular. On my way home last night, I saw various people wearing costumes and makeup! Yet, I wasn’t able to find big bags of candy in the supermarkets or pumpkins on every corner.

Christmas

Christmas is a very important holiday in Austria. Advent, the period of preparation for the festival honoring the birth of Christ, starts on a Sunday four weeks before Christmas Eve. During this time advent wreaths, woven from evergreen twigs and decorated with ribbons and four candles, are hung. Every Sunday leading up to Christmas one of the candles are lit during dinner at which time families pray, read Christmas stories and sing carols together. Christmas markets, a tradition dating back to the year 1298, take place in large squares usually in front of the city hall. The Christmas tree is very important and is set up in the main square of many major cities and towns. On Christmas Eve around 7 pm the tree is lit for the first time and the entire family gathers to sing carols. Austrian children believe that their presents were brought to them by the Christ Child called Christking. I am pretty much bursting with excitement to see what Christmas time is like here! Although I am leaving on December 14th our group may have an opportunity to play at a Christmas market!

New Years

New Years in Austria, especially in Vienna, is just one big celebration! The Vienna Philharmonic plays a traditional program consisting of the same nostalgic music from the repertoire of the Johann Strauss family and attracts people worldwide. At midnight the church bells bring in the new year. Festivities begin at 1am in Vienna’s inner city which features concerts on the streets, the ever-present sound of the waltz, and LOTS of fireworks.

Along with these holidays Austrians celebrate Epiphany (January 6th), Easter, National Holiday (May 1st), Ascension Day (May 5th), Whit Monday (May 16th), Corpus Christi (May 26th), Assumption of the Virgin Mary (August 15th), and All Saints’ Day (November 1st). All the information and images on this post I got from several different websites. Feel free to look further into the many fascinating traditions within Austria!