Kirchtagsmichl

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The Kirchtagsmichl , known locally as Kirschtamichl or Kirchtamichl , is a Tyrolean church convention in the eastern part of the country. The custom goes back to the maypole and has Bavarian roots, which is why the custom can be found in variants throughout the Bavarian language area . In Tyrol a border of customs can be seen running in a north-south direction. In the eastern area in North Tyrol as well as in the Pustertal , which extends to South Tyrol and East Tyrol , it is common as Kirchtagsmichl, in the rest of North and South Tyrol as a maypole.

The Kirchtagsmichl is a long tree that is set up for the church festival. A straw doll is attached to the top of the tree, dressed in leather pants, a white shirt and a hat. The doll ( Michl ) holds a “Pusterer Krapfen” in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. The Kirchtagsmichl is similar to the maypole custom and seems to be a variant adapted to the climatic conditions and work cycles of agriculture in the high mountains. In South Tyrol west of the Mühlbacher Klause , the custom had almost disappeared in the 20th century. It is now being practiced again in several places (e.g. Sterzing , Terlan , Kaltern , Unterinn , Auer , Deutschnofen ).

Another variant of the maypole, which is reminiscent of the Kirchtagsmichl, are the Kirchweih trees in eastern Austria ( Lower Austria , northern Burgenland ), which were also called the Jakobibaum. What all variants have in common is that the tree can be "stolen" without penalty within a certain time frame. The duration of the time window and related details can vary from variant to variant and place to place. In parts of the Upper Puster Valley and East Tyrol ( Sillian , Strassen , Dölsach , St. Jakob in Defereggen ), the custom as a maypole in spring has persisted.

Similar to stealing the maypole, the “stealing” of the Kirchtagsmichl was widespread, especially by members of the neighboring village, which is why guards supervised the tree, who were regularly supplied with food and drinks by the population. In some places the Kirchtagsmichl is only symbolic and is no longer stolen. Rather, the focus today is on the folk festival with typical South Tyrolean specialties and the parade of music bands. After the festival, the Michl is brought down again on the following Monday. In some places there is a public auction of the doll, some of the proceeds go to charitable purposes and to the people who display the doll. In some places the stealing still persists (e.g. Winnebach , Sexten ).

Etymologically, the basic word -michl can be traced back to Middle High German “michel” meaning “large”, which means the length of the rod. The meaning also coincides with the postponement of the maypole custom to autumn with the festival of Archangel Michael on September 29th and points to the Christianization of the older, Germanic fertility custom and the connection with the parish festival .

Footnotes

  1. ↑ a b pustertal.org Kirchtagsmichl - The so-called “Kirchtagsmichl” is a curious tradition with Bavarian roots.
  2. ↑ a b c Elsbeth Wallnöfer: Märzveigerl and Soup Brunzer: 400 terms from real Austria . Verlag Anton Pustet, 2014, ISBN 978-3-7025-8002-5 ( google.at [accessed April 6, 2018]).
  3. ^ Friedrich Haider: Tyrolean folk custom in the course of the year . Tyrolia-Verlag, Innsbruck 1968, p. 236 ff . ( google.at [accessed on April 6, 2018]).
  4. ^ Lenzer, Müller: Living customs in East Tyrol and in the South Tyrolean Pustertal . P. 138 f.
  5. ^ Björn Kaffenberger: Tyrol - Culture and Tradition . Project study: Ötztal-Passeiertal-Etschtal SS 04, p. 17.
  6. ↑ Cf. GF Benecke / W. Müller / F. Zarncke: Middle High German Dictionary . Stuttgart: S. Hirzel 1990 online version

literature

  • Friedrich Haider: Tyrolean folk custom throughout the year. Tyrolia-Verlag, 2nd supplemented edition, Innsbruck 1985, ISBN 3-7022-1578-6
  • Bernd Lenzer; Martin Müller: Living customs in East Tyrol and in the South Tyrolean Pustertal . Innsbruck-Bozen 2005, ISBN 3-7066-2354-4
  • Elsbeth Wallnöfer: Märzveigerl and Soupbrunzer: 400 terms from real Austria. Salzburg 2014, ISBN 978-3-7025-0749-7

Web links

Commons : Kirchtagsmichl  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files