Easter customs

Here you will find an overview of the individual Easter holidays and the customs associated with them in our region.

Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is the last Sunday in Lent. According to the New Testament, the cheering crowds waved palm fronds and olive branches at Jesus Christ as he rode into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey to celebrate the Passover. The Catholic Church celebrates this day with the consecration of palms, the palm procession and the reading of the Passion of Jesus Christ.

You are called a palm donkey if you are the last person in the family to arrive for breakfast on Palm Sunday and are therefore possibly late for mass.

Palm bushes promise blessings throughout the year
Palm branches symbolise life, resurrection after death and victory. Like many other spring customs involving young green branches, this custom dates back to pre-Christian times. The custom states that neither wire nor nails should be used, but that the branches and decorations should be tied together with a strip of bark. Green branches are used to tie the palm bushes and, depending on the region, seven to nine different species are used: Birch, boxwood, yew, oak, heather, hazelnut, cherry, palm catkins (willows), daphne, holly (Schrattl), thuja (blessing tree), juniper (Kranawitten) or cedar. The poles can be wrapped in strips of paper and decorated with colourful ribbons, the bright colours of which are attributed meanings (purple and black for mourning, yellow and orange for joy). After the consecration of the palms, the palm bushes are considered to bring blessings that ward off evil, and in our region they are placed in the corner of the altar or in important places in the house. The palm bushes are placed in gardens and fields on the night before St George's Day.

Maundy Thursday: the bells fly to Rome
On Maundy Thursday, Christians celebrate the washing of the feet and the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the twelve disciples. The priests extinguish all altar candles and the eternal light, remove the hosts from the tabernacles and remove all jewellery from the altars. A Lenten cloth usually adorns the altar. On Maundy Thursday, the bells "fly to Rome" - to be consecrated there and to ring out powerfully again on Easter Sunday. During this time, the church bells are not rung, but in the days that follow, the Ratchet Children parade through the villages in groups to draw people's attention to Easter with a proverb. The name of this day probably comes from the Middle High German "grunen" (to cry). In the past, on Maundy Thursday, repentant sinners (the "weepers") who had been punished by the church were publicly forgiven their sins after repenting. In Upper Austria, this day was also known as Antlasspfinzta ("Antlass" means absolution of sins, "Pfinzta" is the fifth day of the week). Because of a persistent rumour that the name Maundy Thursday comes from the colour green, green dishes are traditionally cooked on this day, which are said to have a strong, cleansing healing power.

Good Friday: minute's silence at 3.00 pm
Good Friday is a religious day of mourning that commemorates the suffering and death of Jesus Christ on the cross. It is considered a "silent day", on which no music or dancing should take place, and a strict fasting day - nowadays many people refrain from eating meat on this day. In the Catholic Church, there is no celebration of the Eucharist on Good Friday; instead, the liturgy is celebrated with a liturgy of the word, veneration of the cross and communion. Rattles replace the ringing of the bells, the Passion is read aloud or sung, the eternal light is not lit and the altar is unadorned. Religious customs include the Stations of the Cross, participation in Good Friday processions and the veneration of the Holy Sepulchre. Many public media outlets (e.g. newspapers, radio, television) also refer to Good Friday and feature a "serious" programme. There is a minute's silence at 3.00 pm, the traditional hour of Jesus Christ's death. In the Protestant church, Good Friday is the highest holiday of the church year.