Enjoying the Culture 205Austria has celebrated a Corpus Christi procession since 1623.
After mass, the crowd boards boats elaborately decorated
with garlands and flowers. The priest boards a special boat,
and the procession makes its way to various stops along the
route. The most important stop is the Salzberg (salt-giving
mountain), Hallstatt’s livelihood, which the priest blesses.
For the last three centuries, Hallstatt has been a key area for
mining salt, which was highly valued in the past, much as
gold is today.
The Sunday after Corpus Christi, a strong boy is elected
to swing a large flag beautifully decorated with the coats of
arms of both the house of Esterházy and the Holy Roman
Empire in Neckenmarkt, Burgenland. The tradition hails back
to 1620, at the beginning of the Thirty Years War, when the
men from Neckenmarkt helped Count Nicholas Esterházy
defeat Bethen Garbor, a Hungarian rebel king. A grateful
Count Esterházy reduced their rent and allowed them to dress
in full regalia during special festivals. The flag is a historical
artifact that has been restored several times.
Maypoles and Labour Day
In May, it is common to see the Maypole in many parts of
Austria; this is a pine tree put at the top of a pole up to 20
metres tall and decorated with ribbons. The Maypole is a
symbol of fertility, happiness and prosperity. It used to be
erected for newly married couples so that they would be
blessed with many children. Today, young men erect the
Maypole on 30 April, then guard it as it is customary for
boys from other villages to try to steal it. Losing the Maypole
embarrasses the owners, who must then search for it. In a
part of Deutschkreutz in Burgenland, it is still the custom
to place small Maypoles by wayside shrines and statues of
saints the night before 1 May.
Unfortunately, Maypoles today are often used for political
purposes. They are usually decorated in a political party’s colours
as an advertisement and also to create a rallying point.
Labour Day (Tag der Arbeit) is on 1 May, a day off for all
working people. It is also a favourite day of politicians, who
make never-ending speeches at political rallies. Parades