Carnival in Salzburg

February is a quiet time for tourism in Salzburg with most visitors being skiers who come from ski resorts for a day of sightseeing and shopping. However, this month is not without events. The carnival period (called in Austria FASCHING) is ending, so balls and masquerades are held in large drinking establishments.

salzburg toptours Carnival Parties in Salzburg - FASCHING

According to the old tradition, before the onset of strict fasting, it is necessary to prepare yourself for the time of repentance, restriction, purification and reflection, which will last for forty days. The apogee of the festivities is Carnival Tuesday, after which fasting begins on Ash Wednesday.

The Carnival Guild is the keeper of the carnival traditions in Salzburg. Every year, they put on a show at the Augustin Brewery. The prince and princess are the main characters of the carnival. They are chosen by the guild in November at the beginning of the carnival season, and they symbolize vices and excesses. On the eve of the forty-day lent the Prince will have to die to signify the start of the time of purification and rest. The Princess will wait for the new Prince after Easter. In the evening, the Augustin Brewery in Salzburg hosts a masquerade and a show of mummers from the carnival guild. Hundreds of people dressed in unusual costumes gather in the hall of St. Gambrinus. Dancers perform on stage while a DJ plays music. At the end of the feast, the mummers, crying, carry a straw effigy of the Carnival Prince through the halls of the brewery. Afterward, the guild members burn the fake body down in the courtyard of the pub.

There are also street carnivals that take place in Salzburg. The biggest one with hundreds of mummers occurs in the part of the city Maxglan.