Percht

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left: Vogelpercht and Schönpercht (Volkskundemuseum Salzburg) right: Schiechperchtenlarve (St. Johann / Pongau) left: Vogelpercht and Schönpercht (Volkskundemuseum Salzburg) right: Schiechperchtenlarve (St. Johann / Pongau)
left: Vogelpercht and Schönpercht ( Volkskundemuseum Salzburg ) right
: Schiechperchten larve (St. Johann / Pongau)

A Percht (plural: Perchten ) is a figure of Bavarian-Austrian alpine customs , of which there are several different variants of different characters, especially in the period from the end of November to January, which can in turn be assigned to two groups: the "good" “Schönperchten and the“ bad ”Schirchperchten, who, according to a legend, are supposed to drive out winter - or the evil spirits of winter - with their bells hung around (driving out winter or the old year ).

history

Perchten masks before 1914 (based on originals in the Salzburg Municipal Museum)
Perchten mask from 1920

Origin of name

The Perchten are probably related to the legendary figure of Perchta , which, however, has an unexplained origin. One theory on naming assumes that the concept of Middle High German , berchtnacht, berchttac the medieval word for the feast of the Epiphany (Epiphany), now the Epiphany on January 6, is derived; Middle High German bercht means 'shiny', 'shining' (see English bright 'hell').

Origins and developments of the custom

Noisy processions with masks of demonic women, pagan goddesses as well as wild and tame animals are described by Caesarius of Arles as early as 500 AD for the calendar celebrations ( Roman - Germanic New Year and Christmas festivals) , along with other customs . So the Percht is also associated with the wild hunt . To what extent the Perchten running actually goes back to pagan customs is, however, controversial. The name Percht developed later.

In the 11th century the term Giperchtennacht was mentioned in the Mondsee glosses , which Johann Andreas Schmeller and Jacob Grimm interpreted as a translation of the Greek word epiphany ( old high German radiant).

With the advancing Christianization in the Alpine region at the beginning of the Middle Ages , the Percht was then increasingly associated with the seven main vices as the figure of Domina Perchta or Frau Welt . In 1729 Christian Gottlob Haltaus associated the Perchttag with a goddess Precha.

The Perchten cults only experienced a renaissance with secularization and a changing attitude towards folk culture in the 19th century, and then again towards the end of the 20th century.

In Salzburg, the feast of Perchta was celebrated with masks for the last time in 1941, at the time as a national socialist-neo-pagan custom.

Perchten running in the present

To this day, the Perchten runs in Austria, South Tyrol, Switzerland and southern Germany take place in the post-Christmas period (the rough nights from Christmas Eve to Epiphany, traditionally Perchten only have something to do with customs during this time).

Nowadays it is usually local clubs that still make Perchten costumes and organize Perchten races. A group that takes part in a Perchten run in disguise is called a pass . This term is also used by the Glöckler .

To the usage of rights

General

The Perchten generally embody two groups, the "good" Schönperchten, and the "bad" Schiechperchten ( obdt. Schiech , pronounced schiach , emphasized on i: ugly, bad, evil). An important utensil of the Perchten is the bell with which, according to popular interpretation, the winter - or the evil spirits of winter - is to be driven out ( driving out winter or the old year ).

Perchten appear in the rough nights between Christmas and New Year to monitor the diet, cleanliness and work regulations for these days. While the Schiachperchten often appear in large numbers and with a large retinue at night, the Schönperchten appear during the day and wish the villagers good luck and blessings.

The Rauhnächte ends on January 5th with the so-called Glöckötåg ( Glöcklertag ). In the evening from around 5 p.m. B. on the central, mostly snow-covered field of Altaussee a symbolic struggle between loud ringing Glöcklern and Bärigln as Schiechperchten instead. The Glöckler, who represent spring, try to "ring out" the winter, the Bärigl vehemently defend themselves against it, resulting in a wild fight. At midnight the ghost of this last rough night is over. A Perchta checks the house for cleanliness - in the spirit of the Frau Perchta legend - and is not allowed to speak a word while he still keeps his face hidden.

Traditional Perchten figures

In addition, there are numerous local forms, some of which are only typical for one village, and mostly relate to the local treasure trove of legends and legends.

Similar customs and delimitations

Perchten-like figures can also be found as a refreshment stop on St. Nicholas Day (such as Buttnmandln des Berchtesgadener Land, Iffele at the Küssnachter Klausjagen or the Hallwiler Chlausen ), which are held on December 5th and 6th. (→ See also: Krampus )

The wild hunt should be related to the Perchten custom, but it is a custom every Thursday between the 2nd and 3rd Sunday of Advent in places around the Untersberg ( Großgmain , Viehausen, Maxglan , Morzg , Grödig , Anif , Marzoll or in Leopoldskron - Moss).

Perchten costumes can also be found alienated at various carnival parades , recently also for Halloween . However, many of these Percht performances are more of a tourist attraction than a living tradition, especially around December 5th (Krampus Day, actually not the time for Perchten, but only for Krampusse ). In Passau and the surrounding area, for example, several groups with mostly modern devil masks appear in the run-up to Christmas as well as in the rough nights. They merge the historical figures Krampus and Percht into frightening characters who are based on fantasy films. In addition to the dates of the traditional Perchten runs, they also appear a. also in shows like the Lucifers Dancenight with light and laser effects .

Regions of traditional Perchten runs

Austria

Bärigl
Pelzpercht Altaussee

The Pongauer Perchtenlauf is well known . This takes place alternately in the four communities of St. Johann , Altenmarkt , Bischofshofen , Bad Gastein and Bad Hofgastein on January 6th (January). There is evidence that the first Perchten runs were held before 1850. You can see, among other things, Tafelperchten, Kappenperchten, Habergoaß, bears with a driver, the Rettenbachbock, Werchmandln as well as hunters and poachers and Teufelsbrünnl hunters as figures.

The Perchten tradition still lives on in the Austrian Salzkammergut and the Styrian Ennstal . On the evening of January 5th, anyone who feels like it can dress up as a Percht and then move from house to house, where, depending on the mood of the owner, he is allowed in and is given plenty of food - or not . Old scraps of fabric are usually used as cladding (these, or in the Hinterberg especially horsehair, also cover the face). In Altaussee there are also furry pigs called Bärigl .

Another area is the upper Murtal in Styria ( Murau / Kreischberg, Gröbming ) and the Lungau in Salzburg , which connects the autochthonous Upper Styrian with the Salzburg and Salzkammergut motifs.

In Tyrol, near the Salzburg border ( Fieberbrunn and the surrounding area), Perchten appearances are again reported according to old tradition.

In addition, the Perchten runs are held in Wiener Neustadt , Hirschstetten (Vienna), Berndorf , Perchtoldsdorf, Pitten, Aspang and Zöbern as well as in many places in and around the Wachau ( Lower Austria ), in many places in Carinthia , e.g. B. in St. Veit an der Glan , Villach , Klagenfurt or in Liebenfels , where there is one of the last Perchten mask carvings, as well as in Tyrol (e.g. Ellmau, Zell am Ziller) and in Vorarlberg ( Innerbraz ).

Germany Bavaria)

On the Bavarian side, for example, B. in Karlstein and Nonn near Bad Reichenhall , in the Rupertiwinkel in Ainring , Laufen , Waging am See and in the Inn-Salzach region in Burghausen Perchtenlaufen. In Kirchseeon near Munich, too , inspired by older fragments of tradition, the Perchtenlauf was reintroduced as an annual custom from 1954 onwards. Perchtenlauf was also common in Franconia and still takes place in Trebgast near Kulmbach and in southern Thuringia. A Perchtenlauf has also been taking place regularly in Almoshof in Nuremberg since 2014.

Collections of Perchten masks

Traditional Perchten masks, mostly from the first half of the 20th century, can be found in local museums in many places where Perchten customs are still alive today, e.g. B. the valley museum in Rauris , the local history museum in Altenmarkt im Pongau but also in some supraregional museums such as the folklore museum Salzburg , the Styrian landscape museum in Trautenfels castle and the museum for ethnology Hamburg .

See also

literature

  • Marco Carniel, Michael Weller: Perchtenzauber. Leykam, Graz 2009. ISBN 978-3-7011-7680-9 (illustrated book).
  • Ernestine Hutter: Salzburg Museum Carolino Augusteum. Folklore collections. Hofstetter-Dia, Ried / Innkreis 1986.
  • Felix Müller, Ulrich Müller: Percht and Krampus, Kramperl and Schiach-Perchten. In: Ulrich Müller, Werner Wunderlich (ed.): Demons, monsters, mythical creatures. UVK - Fachverlag für Wissenschaft und Studium, St. Gallen 1999. ISBN 3-908701-04-X ( Medieval Myths 2).
  • Marianne Rumpf: Perchten. Popular beliefs between myth and catechesis. Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg 1991. ISBN 3-88479-589-9 ( Sources and research on European ethnology 12) [Scientific presentation].
  • Perchten Foundation (Ed.): Perchten Customs in Bavaria. Masks, drums, song and dance - power and magic. Kirchseeon 2004. ISBN 3-00-014309-2 .

Web links

Commons : Perchta  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Rumpf Marianne: Luxuria, Frau Welt and Domina Perchta . In Fabula , Volume 31 (1-2), Verlag Walter de Gruyter , January 1, 1990
  2. ↑ Archive for Religious Studies according to Albrecht Dieterich and Richard Wünsch , Volume 20, BG Teubner Verlag , Berlin, 1920
  3. ↑ a b Rumpf Marianne: Spinnstubenwrauen Kinderschreckgestalten and Frau Perchta . In Fabula . Volume 17, Number 1, Walter de Gruyter Verlag, January 1, 1976.
  4. ↑ Inscription of a Schönperchten in the Völkerkundemuseum Hamburg, as of April 2010.
  5. ↑ dreifluesseteufel.de ( Memento from December 17, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) and passauer-burgdeiffen.com accessed on January 9, 2015.
  6. ↑ youtube.com, accessed January 9, 2015.
  7. ^ Franz Hochwarter: The Gastein Perchten. A complete documentation of the Perchten in Gastein. Self-published, St.Johann im Pongau 2001. 2 illustrated books ( Schönperchten ( Memento of the original dated December 8, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove it Note. , Schiechperchten ( Memento of December 8, 2008 in the Internet Archive )). @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.hochwarter.at
  8. ↑ Perchten am Kreischberg ( Memento from January 14, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), events.steiermark.com
  9. ↑ Glöcklerlauf Gröbming ( Memento from December 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), events.steiermark.com
  10. ^ Alfons Schweiggert: Winter and Christmas spirits in Bavaria. Mysterious characters and customs from All Souls' Day to Epiphany. Bayerland Verlag, Dachau 1996
  11. ↑ Grenzland Perchten Laufen (Salzburg-Upper Austria-Bavarian), with a large picture gallery.
  12. ↑ Renate Reuther: Revelations about Holle, Percht and Christkind . Engelsdorfer Verlag, Leipzig, ISBN 978-3-96008-931-5 , pp. 47 .
  13. ↑ Eugen Koch: Perchten. Accessed January 2, 2020 (German).