Customs and Traditions

Taditions are an integral part of life around the lake „Chiemsee“. You will find societies whose aim it is to keep customs and traditions alive in every town and village. They practice Bavarian dances like "Schuhplatteln" und "Dirndldrahn", they tailor and wear traditional regional costumes for festivals and perform popular Bavarian theater plays. The following events take place every year:

Hoagart

The original meaning of "Hoagart" is a merry get-together with friends and neighbors. Back in the "olden days", people would meet after work and sit together in the "home garden" - hence the word - for chats, music and dancing. These days the „Hoargart“ is mainly celebrated during the fall/winter season when Christmas is approaching. In these gatherings, people play traditional Bavarian music ("Stubnmusi"), sing toghether and read and recite stories and poetry.

Basically, the „Boarische Hoagart" (boarisch: bavarian dialect for "bavarian") today is an open get-together of singers and musicians: the groups are not selected or booked beforehand, there is no program and no fee; instead, the hat is passed around for the musicians' benefit during the course of the evening. And ever so often you will see a few natives knitting and crocheting during the "Hoagart".

Kirchweih (Parish Fair)

Kirchweih-Sunday (in Bavarian also called „Kirta“) is celebrated every year on the third Sunday of October. It commemorates the consecration of the church. Even in pagan times it was customary to bless sites of worship, thus turning them into sacred places. When christianity spread throughout Central Europe (from the 5th century onwards) this tradition was kept with explicit permission of the pope, only now the blessed sites of worship were churches instead of trees or rings of stones. Each church has its own day of consecration which must not be confused with the church's saint's day. Over time, however, the actual day of consecration was forgotten in many places or superseded by the saint's day. To keep the tradition of "Kirchweih" alive, the third Sunday in October was introduced as the general Kirchweih-Sunday.

In the Chiemgau region, this day is honored by a multitude of customs. Particular food is prepared: for example „Kirta-Nudeln“, a kind of sweet deep-fried yeast bread and the "Kirchweih-goose". Children  enjoy the "Kirta-Hutschn", a large swing fixed to trees or low roofs. On Kirchweih-Sunday a red-and-white flag waves from every church tower as a widely visible sign of celebration. It is called „Zachäus-Fahne“ in rememberance of Zacchaeus the tax collector, who, as is written in the holy gospel, climbed a tree to get a look at the passing Jesus.

Leonardi-Ritt

In honor of Saint Leonhard, a celebration takes place in the form of a procession on horseback and blessing of the horses. According to legend, Leonhard was the offspring of a noble family at the court of Chlodwig, and bishop Remigius of Reims (+ 533) became his teacher. As a student of this bishop he particularly attended to prisoners and he received extensive authorization from the king to release prisoners. The Holy Spirit lead Leonhard into solitude. By the end of the 11th century, the regional cult of Saint Leonhard had extended its influence throughout Germany. Particularly in Bavaria, Swabia and Austria as well, he became one of the most popoular people's saints, he sometimes even counted as one of the fourteen „Helpers in Need“.

Originally the patron saint of prisoners, he eventually became the patron of all peasants' needs, as well as of women in childbed, the sick, and various guilds: The miners, the coopers, the butter merchants, the waggoners, the black and copper smiths, the stablemen, and even of livestock, especially horses. A rich variety of customs such as the  Leonhardi-processions helped to spread the celebration of Saint Leonhard even further.

In the Chiemsee region you can still witness this colorful and picturesque tradition.