OK it’s getting close to Christmas and back in our birthland of Blighty the good old, jolly faced, red and white clothed (thanks to Coca Cola) image of Santa is rolled out to get people in the mood. Out here in Austria, St. Nic does share a white beard with Santa but that’s where the similarities end! St. Nic only appears early in December, dresses in blue (no idea how he got this colour) and hands out sweets. Oh, and he is usually followed around by a party of “krampus” – tall devilish beasts with large sticks and whips who make sure no one’s being naughty. If you want to make sure the kids stay well behaved this Christmas and forever more come and visit us and the Austrian version of St. Nic and companions!
Don’t worry if you don’t like the sound of the krampus (like Catherine!), they only visit for the first week in December before sleeping for another year. Shortly after they disappear, which is usually in the first week of December, the delightful and traditional Advent markets appear around the area, though only in the weekends prior to Christmas itself. There is nothing like getting into the Christmas spirit at these markets with a layer of sparkling snow on the ground, a gluhwein (mulled wine) in hand to keep you warm and the varied stalls selling more traditional wares, such as hand made wooden advent scenes and figures, and it actually being near to Christmas!
Shortly after the markets sell their last gluhweins, private collections of the handcrafted Advent figures, which are made by the people of Ebensee, are displayed via organised tours to the homes of the people who made them, or alternatively can be found on show in the Ebensee museum.
In early January, the men of Ebensee don giant illuminated head-dresses made of tissue in a bizarre ritual known as the Gloeckerlauf. This only happens once a year and definitely has to be witnessed to be believed!
Before I overload you with all the great events that happen locally, I’ll sign off for now and hope that you’ll come and witness some for yourself. Our guesthouse is open throughout winter so if you want to get into a more authentic Christmas mood this year, please contact us via email, or phone!