Austrian Folk 55
have the law on their side. Austria’s animal rights groups are
crying murder over the ruling, and some are even saying that
the law gives drivers the legal right to murder animals on the
roads. The government’s Department for Traffic Safety holds
that a driver should brake if the size of the animal endangers
road safety, but drivers cannot stop for smaller animals even
after they have run over them.
Cruelty to Animals
A new law against cruelty to animals not only makes it illegal
to cage hens and rope cattle, but also prohibits dog owners
from using choke collars or invisible electronic fences and from
clipping their ears and tails.
Death
Preparing for Death
Austrians, particularly the Viennese, are said to have a
fascination and special relationship with death. There is a
general attitude that death is a part of life, not simply the
end of it. Most Austrians are practical and buy a graveyard
plot when they are in their 30s or 40s, both as an investment
(graves are extremely expensive) and to secure a gravesite.
Many older Viennese who do not come from wealthy families
belong to a death association (Sterbeverein), to which they
pay monthly dues that eventually pay for a decent burial
and gravesite.
Elaborate funerals are known as a schöne Leich’ (literally
translated as a ‘beautiful corpse’). Many people are given
these expensive funerals, noted for having a large cortege,
paid speakers and lavish meals. It is not uncommon for
members of the Vienna State Opera to be asked to sing at the
departing soul’s grave, particularly at the Zentralfriedhof.
Mortuary Services
The mortuary service in Austria is one of the biggest funeral
enterprises in the world. There are approximately 500
employees arranging 30,000 burials a year. They provide
wreath-carriers, grand hearses and major paraphernalia.
