Advent
Originally, the Advent wreath had 24 candles. Nowadays, there are only 4 candles on the Advent wreath and it can be found in almost every Austrian home. A candle is lit on it every Sunday. In the past, there were three purple and one pink candle. Pink meant the third Sunday. The custom of the Advent calendar makes the waiting time for Christmas exciting. It is a chocolate-filled calendar, with a small window opened every day from December 1 to December 24. Behind each small window is a small sweet surprise. This lovely little December custom is popular not only with children, but also with adults.
St. Barbara’s Day
The “Barbaratag” is the tradition of St. Barbara’s Day, which is held on December 4. At dawn, an apple or cherry branch is cut and brought into the house and placed in a vase. If the branch blooms by Christmas Eve, it means happiness and health for the whole family for the coming year. In some areas, however, it is believed that if the branch blooms, then one of the family members will get married the following year.
St. Nicholas Day
In Austria, on the night before St. Nicholas Day, children must shine their boots and put them in the window. The next day, December 6, St. Nicholas and Krampus visit children from house to house. He brings sweets, oranges, tangerines, walnuts and hazelnuts to good children. St. Nicholas’s faithful companion is the Krampus, a frightening devilish figure in a deer mask with loud bells and a staff. The original tradition held that this beast-like creature would bring blessings and fertility for the coming year and drive away all evil. However, it is now said that Krampus visits children who have behaved particularly naughty in the past year.
“I love Christmas, not just because of the presents but because of all the decorations and lights and the warmth of the season.”
– Ashley Tisdale
Christmas Eve
In Austria, as in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, it is typical to decorate inside and not outside. This means that the Christmas lights, although they are sometimes placed in gardens or on windows, still decorate the interior of the house and are only visible to family and guests. The decoration usually starts at the beginning of December, but at this time there is no Christmas tree. According to tradition, the Christmas tree is decorated by the baby Jesus (Christkind) on December 24th, and he brings the presents that same evening. Where the children are older, many families decorate the Christmas tree together while Christmas music plays in the background.
After the baby Jesus has placed the presents under the tree, a small bell is rung for the children when it is time to open the presents. At this time, the family sings Christmas songs and recites Christmas poems together. For many, the midnight mass concludes the Christmas rituals. This is the Midnight Mass from December 24 to 25, and is one of the two biggest night celebrations of the Catholic church year. It traditionally starts at midnight, but many Austrian parishes have brought the start a little earlier, starting at 10 or 11 p.m.
The Christmas feast
Later comes the Christmas feast. The most common dishes eaten at Christmas are goose (Gansl) with red cabbage and potato dumplings, – which is also the traditional dish for St. Martin’s Day -, sausage soup (Würstelsuppe), carp (Karpfen), and potato salad (Erdäpfelsalat), but of course these can vary from region to region. Various small cookies are also popular in Austria, such as Linzer cookies, vanilla mooncakes (Vanillekipferl), Spitzbuben, and Gugelhupf, which are made in various flavors and decorations. Typical Christmas drinks include hot chocolate, eggnog, punch and Jagatee. Jagatee is an alcoholic punch hot drink made by mixing Austrian rum with spiced black tea. The Christmas season continues on December 25-26 with family and friends. Feasting and celebration continue on Christmas and St. Stephen’s Day. The final day of the Christmas holidays is Epiphany in early January, the celebration of the arrival of the Three Kings, or the wise men from the east. The Christmas tree is traditionally taken down on this day.
The Christmas Market
Vienna’s wonderful Christmas markets create a magical festive atmosphere in the city. The breathtaking Belvedere Palace Christmas Village is one of my favorites this year. The glorious baroque palace in the background gives the market a unique atmosphere, where you can buy lots of good food and delicious punches. My favorite punch was the hot orange havana rum punch, which I could buy in a little boot-shaped mug. They sell a lot of handicrafts, Christmas tree decorations, ceramics, metal and wood items, and handmade candles. I also stopped by a restaurant near the Christmas market to try the Austrian Wiener Schintzel with potato salad. I really like Austrian potato salad because it is made without mayonnaise and is sour. This one was made with lemon and mustard. It was fantastic! I only spent a couple of hours in the city, I came specifically to see the Christmas market. It was worth every minute, I had a great time.
“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime.”
– Laura Ingalls Wilder