The Pongauer Perchtenlauf
One of Austria's oddest midwinter folk rituals, the Pongauer Perchtenlauf takes place on the night of January 5-6. It's an annual event that is shared by the Pongau towns of Altenmarkt, Bischofshofen, Badgastein and St Johann, each of which takes a turn hosting the festival on a four-year cycle. The Perchtenlauf revolves around a procession of young men dressed in the white costumes and masks of the Schiachperchten , kindly spirits who wave birch twigs and jangle cowbells in order to ward off demons and herald a year full of bumper harvests and good fortune. They're accompanied by Schonperchten who wear enormous head-dresses, some of which weigh up to 50kg, their finery designed to bring light to a world subsumed in midwinter darkness. Some head-dresses are decorated with mirrors, to scare away evil spirits afraid of seeing their own reflection. Performances of the Perchtenlauf are traditionally an all-male affair, which - seeing as the Schonperchten are supposed to be accompanied by young wenches - inevitably involves a certain amount of cross-dressing. The Pongauer Perchtenlauf takes place in Badgastein in 2002, Altenmarkt in 2003, Bischofshofen in 2004 and St Johann in 2005
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