December 8, what a holiday in Austria. Holidays in austria. How locals feel about the holidays

An overview of activities that will be of interest to tourists planning to visit Austria in 2018.

May 10 - Ascension of the Lord. It is one of the 13 official holidays in Austria and is celebrated throughout the country with festive church processions and prayers.

11 May-17 June - Vienna, Wiener Festwochen. It is a cultural festival in Vienna, founded in 1951, attracting about 180,000 spectators annually. The opening of the festival is held in the open air and is free of charge.

May 18-21 - Salzburg, Whitsun Festival. A festival dedicated to the celebration of the day of the Holy Trinity, these days there are numerous concerts of classical music performed by famous world musicians and orchestras.

May 20-12 - Pentecost. This is a big church holiday, also known as Whit Monda, which celebrates the ascent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus Christ, according to the Bible's New Testament, and festive processions take place on the streets of Austrian cities.

May 31 - Feast of the Body of Christ. This is the Catholic holiday of the Eucharist, which once again shows how closely culture and religion are in Austria. It is accompanied by colorful processions accompanied by music, singing of hymns and ringing of church bells. The city streets are decorated with flags and flowers, embroidered napkins flaunt on the windows of houses and candles are burning.

End of June - Celebration of the summer solstice. This day in Austria is celebrated with noisy festivities, games and round dances around flaming bonfires. The cable cars work late, dropping off party participants in various mountain towns and villages, where the festivities are especially fun. In addition, the holiday can be spent taking a cruise on the Achensee lake or taking part in musical and culinary events against the backdrop of the mountains of Innsbruck.

July 22-24 - Vienna, Danube Festival. This Danube Music Festival has been held since 1983 and is one of the largest open-air festivals in Europe, attracting over 3 million viewers annually. Safety at the festival is assured not only by the numerous police, but also by 1,500 volunteers.

July 20 - August 30 - Salzburg, Summer Festival. One of the most anticipated cultural events in Europe, the Music and Drama Festival has been held every summer since 1920 in Salzburg, Mozart's homeland. The profit from the festival is about 30 million euros, in addition, it creates more than 3,400 additional jobs throughout the country.

August 15 - Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. This is another important church holiday in Austria, accompanied by massive colorful processions along the city streets and fireworks.

September 19-23 - Salzburg, Saint Rupert's Day. This saint is the patron saint and founder of Salzburg, celebrations in his honor are one of the most popular folk festivals and represent a large festival with a fair. The celebration lasts four days and is attended by over 100 thousand people annually.

September 20 - October 7 - Vienna, Wiener Wiesn-Fest. It is the largest traditional folk music festival that has been held annually since 2011 for 18 days. It is a colorful event that offers many interesting activities for its visitors. Famous musicians, cultural and art workers, businessmen and politicians traditionally become guests of the festival. The focus is on Austrian customs and traditions, as well as national cuisine and folk music.

September 28-30 - Vienna, Wine Hiking Days. Vienna has about 700 hectares of vineyards and these days they are open to the public. There are several itineraries to choose from, which include great hiking and a compulsory lunch with local wine tasting.

Early October - Alpine regions, Almabtrieb processions. It is a funny tradition of driving livestock from high-mountain pastures to the valley for wintering. The event is accompanied by music and dancing, animals are decorated with hundreds of live roses, pine branches, as well as artificial flowers made of silver and silk. The Viennese Cow plays a special role, leading the herd on the way to her native stables; on her head she wears an unusually large headdress of branches, herbs and flowers in the form of a crown. This wreath often depicts a cross, symbolizing a request to the heavenly powers for protection from evil spirits.

October 5-21 - Salzburg, Kulturtage. These are culture days, founded in 1972, which host numerous affordable classical music concerts and opera performances.

October 26 - National Day of Austria. Celebrated since 1955, since the adoption of the law on permanent neutrality by the Austrian parliament. This is a federal event, every year on this day the President and the Minister of Defense attend the celebration at Heldenplatz Square, lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the President addresses the population with a speech, and the Federal Chancellery opens its doors to everyone. Recruits of the Austrian Armed Forces are also called up on this day, and residents have the opportunity to visit federal museums for free or at a discount.

November 1 - All Saints Day. This is the day of remembrance of all saints, which smoothly turns into the day of all the dead, celebrated on November 2. On this day, the Austrians go to the graves of relatives, with prayers and chants in a general procession, tidy up the graves and put up burning candles. A large number of funeral candles are a symbol of this holiday. On this day, wreaths are lowered into the water, and passers-by give each other bread.

November 11 - St. Martin's Day. This is a saint especially revered in Austria.On this day, Austrians go to small restaurants en masse and eat specially prepared goose, which is served with dumplings, red cabbage and chestnuts. All this is washed down with young wine - it is November 11 that is officially considered the day of wine of the new harvest, when it ripens, and the wine of the last year is considered old from that moment. On this day, children visit their neighbors' homes and receive gifts.

End of November - December 26 - The period of the Christmas markets. At this time, famous Christmas markets are held throughout the country with fun shows, entertainment and treats for all tastes. At these fairs you can buy gifts and souvenirs for loved ones, including items of traditional national handicrafts.

December 6 - St. Nicholas Day. Throughout the country, bright parades are held with the participation of church ministers and ordinary citizens; on this day, special attention is paid to children - they are given gifts, which are placed in special shoes displayed on the doorstep.

December 8 - Feast of the Immaculate Conception. This day is solemnly celebrated with parades and religious processions throughout the country.

December 26 - St. Stephen's Day. In Austria, Saint Stephen is considered the patron saint of horses, and in modern Austria on this day, paying tribute to tradition, horse-riding lovers gather in nature and arrange races.

December 31 New Year. As in any country, people gather on the streets of Austrian cities on this day, concerts and fireworks are held.

For more information and timing of events, visit the Official Tourist Office of Austria.

What holidays exist in Austria? What days do Austrians have a day off? How is it celebrated, what interesting traditions are there? Why are Austrian holidays interesting for tourists? Read the answers in our article.

The calendar

For the calendar of official holidays in Austria, see the table below:

Please note that there are NO days off in Austria: Good Friday, Christmas Eve (December 24) and December 31. Also, the Austrians have no celebration of the end of World War II.

Postponing the weekend

In Austria, the law does not provide for the transfer of days off. If a holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, then they celebrate that day, and no additional days off are assigned.

However, many enterprises give their employees extra days off, as is customary here. But in any case, this decision of the enterprise management may be given a weekend or not.

What usually happens on a weekend

Most of the smaller shops are closed on public holidays. They are owned by local Austrians, and they also work there. Naturally, on a holiday, they want to celebrate, not work.

The situation with supermarkets is more complicated. Some work, some don't.

Turkish, Vietnamese, Chinese shops, cafes and fast foods are always open.

Cafes and restaurants are open, on holidays they have the largest flow of visitors, they try not to miss out on benefits. The only exception is Christmas, when no one works except the Turks and Vietnamese.

Sightseeing and entertainment facilities are open on holidays. They also try not to miss out on their benefits.

Organized mass events are rarely organized in Austria. Except for the New Year, when the whole of Austria is one continuous mass event. Also, on religious holidays, Catholics arrange processions, which we will talk about later in this article.

January 1 - New Year

The Austrians call "Silvester" (Zilvesta), or "Sylvesterabend" (Zilvestaabent), or "Neujahrstag" (Noyastag).

New Year in Austria is celebrated on a grand scale. The festivities begin at 15-00 on December 31. By this time, the Austrians' working day ends, almost all shops are closed, and cafes and restaurants are switching to special services. December 31 for Catholics is not only the last day of the calendar year, but also St. Sylvester's Day.

At night, the official celebrations last until 2 am, but even then many people walk the streets until morning. By tradition, at midnight, the largest fireworks are held at. The use of fireworks by private individuals has been banned by law since 2010, but on New Year's Eve, the police don't look too much.

In cities, concerts are held on temporary stages, and there is classical music, pop, rock, and dance styles. People in the streets dance, have fun and even drink, despite the ban on drinking at night.

January 1 in Vienna and other Austrian cities, like ours, is a “dead” day or a “hangover day”. Most of the shops are closed, few catering establishments are open. In Vienna, there are many Turkish shops and fast foods, Chinese and Vietnamese cafes that work 24x7x365, so they are open even on New Year's Eve and January 1st.

In addition, there are New Year's fairs, where there are open street food outlets, so you will not be left hungry and without shopping.

Public and religious holidays in Austria. Carnivals and festivals in Austria. Official holidays in Austria 2019.

Austrians are hardworking, calm, collected and healthy people, only 9% of residents have problems with being overweight. However, excessive "correctness" does not prevent them from bringing a fairy tale into their lives, making the Austrian holidays not only bright and colorful, but also homely cozy and satisfying.

New Year in Austria 2018

The most common tourist destination in Austria during the winter holidays is ski resorts. Their infrastructure is considered one of the most developed in the world: comfortable lifts and ideal slopes make your vacation not only useful, but also enjoyable. Those who prefer quieter versions of the New Year are better off heading to Vienna. During this period, the capital turns into a fairy tale: illumination, lanterns, garlands, lights - the atmosphere is inspiring! At the end of December, a concert takes place on the central square of Vienna and the lights on the town's Christmas tree are solemnly lit. The evergreen beauty is decorated long before the start of the celebration.

In November, the Vienna Christmas market begins at the City Hall, where you can buy souvenirs and taste hot. Later, in January, the main square will be turned into a huge ice rink.

On New Year's Eve, all traditions in Austria carry a clear semantic load - everything must be done to make the next year happy:

• So, at midnight it is customary to kiss loved ones and guess. This is done using lead: the metal is melted over a candle and then immersed in cold water. The resulting figurine is carefully examined. If she looks like an old woman, it will bring misfortune, and if you see a heart or a cap, everything will be fine;
• As gifts to loved ones, they choose souvenirs in the form of pigs, clover or yarrow. They are believed to bring good luck;
• The favorite dish of the Austrians for the New Year is suckling pig. Everyone should eat pork that night, meat is considered lucky. It is especially good to eat a piglet. In the form of pigs, local residents also cook pastries: gingerbread cookies, cookies, cakes, chocolate figurines - everything should bring happiness to the house!

Holidays in Austria: New Year's Eve dishes

Winter carnivals Austria 2018

Let's plunge into a fairy tale for a while - the winter carnivals of Austria are waiting for us:

• January 6 is celebrated in Austria holiday of the three kings... It is customary to start this day with a visit to church, and then gather for a family dinner. In the evening, specially dressed people go to their homes in memory of the kings, and the children draw signs C, M, B on the doors, which means the first letters from the English phrase: "This house was blessed by Christ." It promotes well-being;
• In the cities and alpine villages, parades and processions are regularly held in winter; tourists are delighted with the Tyrolean festivals in Austria. One of the most memorable is the music festival dedicated to Birthday Mozart (January 27). It is celebrated in Salzburg, where classical music lovers gather at this time. The works of the great composer performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra are not a trivial event;
• 40 days before Easter (15 February 2018) Austrians celebrate ash Wednesday... On this day, it is customary to sprinkle ashes on the head (or draw an ashen cross on the forehead) and go to confession;

Holidays in Austria in spring 2018

The country takes religion seriously, therefore Easter, like other religious holidays in Austria, are celebrated on a grand scale. Thousands of rabbits and eggs appear on store shelves, which become the main decorations of the table. In the morning, children are delighted with gifts, like at Christmas, after which everyone sits down at the table. It is customary to consecrate bread, meat, horseradish, salt and eggs at the Sabbath service. The eggs are dyed in specific colors, each of which has a meaning. For example, green means innocence, red means the blood of Christ, yellow means wisdom.

Depending on the date of the celebration of Easter (in 2018 falls on April 1), the Austrians celebrate Ascension on the 40th day and Holy spirit day - on the 50th. All these holidays in Austria are official days off.

The first day of May in this country is dedicated to the working people; in Labor Day it is customary to rest, walk in parks, feed birds. On the second Sunday in May, it is customary to congratulate mothers. Books, souvenirs, flowers - all this is bought from store shelves very quickly.

Austrian holidays in spring 2019

Austrian Summer Holidays 2019

From June 29 to July 10, 2019, Vienna will attract millions of tourists. The reason for this is the famous Jazz festival... Famous performers of the genre will perform in the capital: Jan Garbarek, Thomas Quasthoff, George Benson, Herbie Hancock. It is noteworthy that at this Austrian festival one can hear not only jazz, but also other musical directions. Some of the performances will take place at concert venues and at the opera, while others will perform on the street and in jazz clubs.

Assumption of the Virgin (August 15th) is an official day off in Austria. On this day, Austrians take part in festive processions, go to cathedrals decorated with flowers and herbs, and put on religious theatrical performances.

Austrian Holidays in Autumn 2019

Autumn holidays and festivals in Austria delight with a variety:

• On October 26, the country celebrates one of the most important days in history - Day of the withdrawal of Soviet troops... On national day, parades, rallies, competitions and contests of a various nature are held on the streets of cities;
• November 11 seems to come to life from a long sleep. There are fairs on the streets, there is a lively trade, young wine is drunk in honor of Saint Martin... Traditionally, baked goose is cooked on this day. The tradition has been around since the Middle Ages. Once on this day, a duty was collected, sometimes shepherds gave geese on account of it - you can taste it, cooked according to a special recipe, in numerous restaurants.
• The patron saint of the state since the middle of the 15th century is Leopold (15th of November). This is a politician, in which the position of Austria was significantly strengthened, several monasteries were built and the standard of living of citizens increased.

December and Christmas festivals in Austria

The first Austrian holiday in a series of winter celebrations is St. Nicolas day (December 6). This is the morning of children's smiles: a kind wizard brings gifts, which he puts in carefully prepared and exhibited shoes. For the Austrians, Saint Nicholas is not an analogue of Santa Claus or Santa Claus, he is an independent character. The saint monitors obedience, so next to him you can always see a devil with a large basket and twigs. It is believed that he can carry the naughty baby with him and even spank with twigs - if necessary. The baby - Christ gives gifts to children. This tradition is so absorbed into the souls of local residents that little ones have no questions about the nature of this "miracle".

Austrians are thorough and religious people. Christmas in Austria is the most important holiday of the year. They even approach the decoration of the Christmas tree with awe. By the way, glass and plastic toys are out of fashion. It is believed that an evergreen tree is not a stand for decorations, it is a symbol of the holiday, which must remain in its original form. A vanilla bagel should proudly flaunt at the head of the table, next to it - a goose or / and carp. The gala dinner ends with a collection of gifts. After that, everyone goes to the all-night vigil, her visit is the law for the Austrian.

Historically, Austria is a state that, over many centuries of its existence, has been influenced by various cultural traditions, among which Slavic, Germanic and Romanesque can be noted. Perhaps for this reason, Austrian national holidays are distinguished by their originality and have the bewitching charm of a distinctive culture.

What Austrian public holidays are celebrated in this country and how locals celebrate different dates, we will consider in our article.

Features of the celebration in Austria

In addition to official public holidays, local events are often celebrated in large cities in the country. Balls known throughout Europe immediately come to mind, which are annually held in Vienna and have no analogues not only in the country, but throughout the entire European territory.

It should be noted that most of the 17 public holidays are religious: their dates are set in accordance with the Gregorian calendar generally accepted in the Catholic world (almost 80% of local residents are Catholic).

The most important religious holidays in Austria, as well as in other Orthodox states, are Easter, Christmas, Ascension and Trinity. On such dates, it is customary to give magnificent and beautifully designed editions of the Bible, rosary, incense and other items for religious and spiritual rituals. In the best traditions of Catholicism, children are presented with the first communion.

It should be noted that the Austrians are particularly sensitive to the celebration of religious dates.

What holidays are considered public holidays?

Official dates in Austria are established by federal or state law. An interesting fact is that in each federal state there is a special holiday, which is celebrated in each region on its own day. Among the main state dates, in addition to the New Year and the previously indicated religious dates, include the holiday of the three kings in Austria, celebrated every year on January 6, as well as other important dates:

School holidays are set separately for each federal state, so in different regions of the country, schoolchildren can rest at different times. During vacations and public holidays, local public transport operates on a different schedule, different fares apply.

How do the locals feel about the holidays?

The Austrian national holiday on October 26 is celebrated by the Austrians with a special touch. For example, crowns for important dates come to their acquaintances and friends with small but pleasant gifts. Sometimes these are flowers, wine or small souvenirs, often useful things.

The residents of the capital hold two holidays in high esteem - each resident's own birthday and Christmas, others are treated less reverently.

Gifts that are presented to celebrate anniversaries and birthdays are mostly original and individual. However, if people work together (or study), it will not be considered shameful to give one expensive gift from the entire team: in this respect, Austrians are like Russians. Also, quite often the locals do not hesitate and immediately say what exactly they would like to receive, so there are almost no problems with the selection of a gift.

Have you ever celebrated national holidays in Austria? If yes, then share your experience or any interesting story with our readers in the comments to this article.