Liachtbratlmontag

In earlier times, tailors sewed everything by hand , the working hours extended over an eight-hour day . In order to achieve clean, even stitches even on days with a short day length, lighting with candles , oil lamps and tallow candles was necessary in winter .

In a spinning room , also called a light room , the women met in the evenings during the cold season to do manual work (for example breaking flax , combing sheep's wool , spinning , weaving ) in artificial light

The Liachtbratlmontag (also spelled Lichtbratlmontag or Liachtbradlmontag ) is a day celebrated as a folk custom in Austria . The point in time at which artificial light is used for work for the first time in autumn is celebrated.

The Lichtbratlmontag in Bad Ischl was recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage in 2013 .

Historical meaning

On Liachtbratlmontag in earlier times the craftsmen in the workshop were allowed to light candles or sled lamps to work for the first time in autumn in order to have enough light ( vulgo Liacht). In the summer months with long days , work was done outdoors or without these light sources to save money. With the savings, the master or manager donated a roast (commonly known as Bratl ) with beer or wine. Since in earlier times eating meat was only allowed on Sundays and public holidays ( "Sunday roast" ) or on special occasions, financially or (for example in feudalism ), this custom stood out from the daily grind and was gladly demanded and passed on .

The Liachtbratlmontag was also put on the first Monday after Michaelmas (September 29th). The aphorism "The Michel Zündt's light on" and the concept of light bar (Spinning Room) are related to this custom. The artificial light was used until Candlemas . The Michaelmas was just as Candlemas customary and prescribed date for the termination of employment of servants , servants and maids and their new recording; also “zu Jacobi ” (July 25), “on Bartholomäi ” (August 24), “on St. John's Day ” (June 24).

Before the Second World War, this festival was still known in large parts of Austria under the other names distelblauer, lichtblauer or Lichtbrat (e) l-Montag after Michaelmas . A publication from 1928 mentions that he could also be found in some districts of Vienna, but that the custom was already on the decline.

In the 21st century, the Liachtbratlmontag with a focus on the Upper Austrian Salzkammergut and the State of Salzburg has been preserved. For some years now, the area of ​​activity has been expanding again, and this special Monday has recently been celebrated in the neighboring Almtal (again). The Liachtbratlmontag in Bad Ischl has a special status, as it is traditionally associated with honoring old age anniversaries and has been explicitly included in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.

The light roast Monday in Bad Ischl

The light roast Monday in Bad Ischl is an old custom in the Upper Austrian town of Bad Ischl in the Gmunden district . It is celebrated at the beginning of October, every year on the first Monday after Michaelmas Day (29 September).

In March 2011, the Lichtbratlmontag in Bad Ischl was included in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage in Austria by the Austrian Commission for UNESCO under exactly this name and spelling . Customs belong to the category of social practices, rituals and celebrations.

Today, Lichtbratlmontag at the beginning of October is a festive class meeting that includes the round Ischler anniversaries (50s, 60s, 70s and older). A committee is formed from the ranks of the 50s to carry out the invitations and the organization. Group photos of the years are taken in the spa gardens in the morning. It is always set up by the large main staircase of the listed Kongress & Theaterhaus Bad Ischl .

All anniversary participants then form a festive procession through the city center with subsequent wreath-laying in front of the war memorial. The "younger ones" are on foot, the "older ones" in decorated horse-drawn carriages. Afterwards, the parish church of Bad Ischl will be used for a St. Visited the trade fair, afterwards it goes back to the spa gardens, where all participants sing the Upper Austrian national anthem . This is followed by an excursion into the surrounding Inner Salzkammergut for the rest of the day .

The condition for taking part in the move is that the jubilee boy was either born in Bad Ischl or has his main residence in the imperial city.

In Bad Ischl, shops, offices and authorities are closed on Lichtbratl Monday from noon, and official business is also suspended. Many employers release their employees from work on this day. Several companies invite their employees to a “light roast”. The Lichtbratlmontag has thus developed into a local holiday.

It is not possible to determine exactly when the custom of the light roast Monday began. The earliest records concern the solemn meeting of the born in 1851 in 1901. The first few years only men and only 50s and 60s were invited. In 1910, a joint photograph was documented for the first time in the Ischler Rundschau. After a few years women also took part, after the Second World War and in the 1950s the event was extended to include the other round jubilees (70s and up).

Traditionally, the organization of the event is handed over to the next class every year by the class committee of the fifties. In other words, cultural heritage is passed on from one generation to the next. This cultural heritage has an identity-creating effect because it is only open to the citizens of Bad Ischl or those born here. The UNESCO Commission says that the Ischler Lichtbratlmontag can be described as an essential and formative element of the local cultural heritage.

The whole population is invited to take part in the celebrations, with the small children actively involved as well-wishers. Many citizens stand in line during the parade in the streets of the city center and distribute flowers. The anniversaries receive gingerbread hearts and other presents and recognitions.

The UNESCO Commission sees one reason for protecting the Lichtbratlmontag in Bad Ischl and its inclusion in the list of cultural heritage in the fact that it could be endangered by imitation in other municipalities and by excessive donations.

literature

• Peter Rosegger : When we celebrated Lichtbratl. In: Erzählungen, Waldheimat, Volume 3, available online at zeno.org .
• Ischler Heimatverein (Ed.): Bad Ischl Heimatbuch 2004 . Rudolf Wimmer, Bad Ischl 2004, ISBN 3-900998-70-1 .
• Heinrich Marchetti, Franz Stüger: Bad Ischl. Community mirror and history . In: Association for the publication of a district book Gmunden (Hrsg.): The district of Gmunden and its communities . From the beginning to the present. Upper Austrian Provincial Publishing House , Linz 1991.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ E.Hoffmann-Krayer, Hans-Bächtold Stäubli: Handwörterbuch to German folklore, Volume IV superstition. Association of German societies for folklore (ed.) Verlag Walter de Gruyter & Co, Berlin and Tübingen 1934/1935, p. 555.
2. ↑ Codex Fridericianus, directory of the EDICTs, PATENTS, MANDATES, RESCRIPTs and main ordinances issued in the 1769th year. According to the order of the time, ordinance of 1769, No. 12, Austrian National Library, inventory number + Z18610830X: 1771, p. 41–. Collection of laws from 1771 by Frederick the Great
3. ^ Wiener Zeitschrift für Volkskunde. Anna Rothziegel-Frankel: The thistle blue, light blue or light roast Monday after Michaelmas. Born in 1928. Pages 106–107 (pdf). Association for Folklore in Vienna, February 12, 2016, accessed on February 12, 2016 . 
4. ↑ ^{a b c} Ischler Heimatverein (Ed.): Bad Ischl Heimatbuch 2004 . Rudolf Wimmer, Bad Ischl 2004, ISBN 3-900998-70-1 , p. 189 .
5. ↑ Heinrich Marchetti, Franz Stüger: Bad Ischl. Community mirror and history . In: Association for the publication of a district book Gmunden (Hrsg.): The district of Gmunden and its communities. From the beginning to the present. Upper Austrian publisher . Linz 1991, p. 809.
6. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Directory of the intangible cultural heritage in Austria: Lichtbratlmontag in Bad Ischl. (No longer available online.) National Agency for Intangible Cultural Heritage - Austrian Commission for UNESCO, March 13, 2011, archived from the original on February 12, 2016 ; accessed on February 12, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
7. ↑ Lichtbratlmontag. The warmest festival of the whole year. Oberösterreichische Nachrichten , September 30, 2014, accessed on February 12, 2016 .