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Typical Austrian traditions
To demonstrate some of my beloved Austrian traditions I am revealing the picture source of my logo. It is a painting by my late friend Wolfgang Seewald which depicts a typical Austrian wedding. Unfortunately I never married an Austrian girl :o( so I was always only a guest. But a special guest at least, because I provided the church music for countless numbers of those beautiful wedding ceremonies. I am talking about traditions that involve special skills, beautiful accessories, lovely music (see the link in the picture), craftmanship, and last, but not least, knowledge that has been communicated throughout many generations. Traditions like that are highly enjoyable to insiders, participants and onlookers alike.
These are my top five picks:
The Austrian country home is typically a white stucco house that is all built of brick building blocks. Even the inside has a smooth stucco finish. I didn't know of sheet-rock until I moved to the USA. The house has solid wooden accents (shutters and siding) and a big balcony with flower boxes. The doors and windows are solid wood as well. Every village has its own resident master carpenter to do the beautiful woodwork. These houses are very sturdy and don't need any air conditioners! Folk dancing is like a cult in Austria. The main dances are the waltz and the polka. But there are many special dances, like the "Schuhplattler:" the men have to wear leather pants and while they jump they hit their heels and their pants in certain patterns. It's quite a sight and a sound! Then there are ritual dances, like the "Perchtentanz," where the dancers wear either very beautiful or very scary costumes. Those dances are for asking for a good harvest or for getting rid of bad spirits. Even for regular folk dancing which is performed at any thinkable occasion, the dancers wear a variety of beautiful and interesting ethnic dresses, which are called "Tracht." This clothing is even worn to work, so I hesitate to use the expression "folk costume," because it is much more than that, it is a way of life! A brass band you will find in every little Austrian village. The age range of the members is 8 - 80. The bands have an average of forty regular members and include woodwinds and percussion instruments. While some folk dance groups are semi-professionals, brass bands are mostly volunteer amateurs. I once sang with my local brass band at the gym for their annual spring concert. I didn't use a microphone which shows in a scary photograph: I look more like a roaring grizzly than a human being. But it was a fun experience I wouldn't want to miss for the world! As with the dancers, the bands play for weddings and other festive occasions. One special tradition is a hay ride through the county, where the whole band rides in a horse carriage! The wedding director (in German: der Hochzeitslader) is the most important person of the wedding party. That's why he carries this beautiful stick with a ribbon all around it and a flower bouquet attached to the top (see the picture). That way everyone knows who he is! He is responsible for the seating order in church, as well as for organizing the music and the dances for the traditional festivities afterwards. This is an exhausting job, because the whole village is invited and no one goes home before dark. A good wedding director will keep the party lively at all times! Finally, the Knickerbocker Lederhosen (leather pants) are mostly made of calf- or deerskin. When I got my first ones as a boy I experienced their most amazing side effect: Lederhosen can grow with you. I wore them for many years and they always fit! Handmade Lederhosen cost easily around $1500. They always have special suspenders that are connected in the middle of the chest. Lederhosen also have a lot of embroidery on them. Have you ever tried to embroider thick leather? Lederhosen are very comfortable until you have to go to the little boys' room. I am sure you recognized other parts in the picture: beer barrels, the priest, and the wedding couple. I grew up with these traditions and have grown to love them very much. There is so much variety and life in them! Traditions have to evolve too. By the way, the above painting was created for the program notes of a performance called "Das Jahr des Herrn" (the year of the lord) which is devoted to typical Austrian traditions throughout the calendar year. Music credits: the RealAudio file above is a folk dance called "Bayrischer" and is performed by the Tobi Reiser Ensemble with yours truly at the organ. There will always be music in my articles! Make sure to visit Florian at his beautiful bilingual web site at Vienna/Opera/4151. Recently the site has been enhanced by different designer graphic sets on all pages. You can also hear the professional musician sing, yodel, play the piano and more, and learn about his concert activities. Florian is an Austrian citizen, having been raised in beautiful Salzburg. His writings don't claim to be scientific, but are derived from personal experiences. | 
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Austria is over one thousand years old. Traditions mean a lot and are held high, especially by the country folks. I mostly lived in the country myself, which was more peaceful combined with fresher air!
