Glöckler runs in the Salzkammergut region
Ancient customs with their secret magic around the wintry Raunächte have a firm place in the tradition of the Salzkammergut. Every year on 5 January, the eve of the Three Wise Men, bell-ringers walk through the Salzkammergut as figures of light with their shining caps, chasing away evil spirits with their bells and bringing salvation and blessings. For spectators, this is a unique spectacle that is one of the most fascinating winter customs in Austria.
Glöckler Tradition in Salzkammergut
The Glöckler are moving in white robes from the surrounding villages to the city centre and from house to house in the villages. With their colourful, artfully worked, brightly shining bell-cap they offer a wonderful picture, when they all pull in exactly the same step their orbits, their sun calling circles, spirals and eights, if their bonnets - artful shapes like stars, semicircles, pyramids and drums - shine and light up the dark night.
The origins
Ebensee at Traunsee is the origin of this Raunacht tradition, which has been declared an immaterial cultural heritage of Austria by UNESCO. Traditional things are maintained and lived here unadulterated.
Also around the Wolfgangsee and in Bad Ischl, the bright light figures with their colourful, lovingly handcrafted caps - each of them a work of art in its own right - draw the public from house to house and through the town on 5 January at nightfall - an authentic spectacle worth seeing for locals and guests alike and one of the most special winter traditions in the Alps.
