Rauhnächte, smoke and rosary

When the Krampuses come to Tyrol on December 5, everything is clear: the winter season with all its evil spirits, devils and witches is upon us. In Tyrol, radical immediate measures are taken to drive away these sinister companions. The 'counter-attack' during the Rauhnächte is called ‚rachn‘ and has been practiced since time immemorial. The hostile and senselessly haunting riff-raff are smoked out and chased away with the murmur of the rosary and the sprinkling of holy water.

It starts at the beginning of winter

The dark and cold time of the ghosts, which used to frighten people, reaches its peak with the official start of winter. When people still lived without electricity and central heating, the whistling noise of winter storms in particular was often attributed to the spirit world. People had great respect for the 'Wild Hunt', as all kinds of additional noises from the forest announced the certain presence of evil spirits. People wanted to protect their homes, farms and animals against them. The twelve days after the beginning of winter were dedicated to warding off spirits with smoke and rosaries.

On the night of St. Thomas' Day, the longest night of the year between 20 and 21 December, the custom began, which was practised until the night of 5 to 6 January and is still practised in many homes today. In the evening, a pan is placed on the stove. And when it is boiling hot, selected Alpine herbs are usually brought to the boil. Equipped in this way, the inhabitants of the house then begin to 'smoke out' the entire house on a tour, so that witches and evil spirits leave.

Incense with more than 20 flowers, herbs and leaves

In Tyrolean farmhouses, 20 or more different herbs, grasses and flowers are usually collected in summer and used in winter to 'smoke out' all the rooms, the threshing floor and the barn. The selection varies from valley to valley, indeed from farm to farm.

The most popular are Wohlgemut (Tyrol's wild oregano), thyme, pepper and catnip, camomile, lavender, ribwort and ribwort plantain, St. John's wort and motherwort, wormwood, raspberry and hazelnut leaves, evening primrose blossom and frankincense. All kinds of flowers, such as those of roses and snowball bushes, are added to the herbal mixture. Frankincense is also often added. An excellent overview of 'modern incense burning' using local incense can be found in a book that I can warmly recommend. It is published by Tyrolia published: „Räuchern in den Alpen“. (See also link at the end of the text).

Where does the name 'Rauhnächte' come from?

The Rauhnächte are the time of ‚Rachns‘. The house, yard and animals are usually 'smoked' on three days, on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and the night before Epiphany.

The origin of the name 'Rauhnächte' is not clear. Either from the 'Wild (rauhen) Hunt', in which the stormy forces in the form of evil spirits and ghosts, including dangerous witchcraft, are up to mischief. Or - obviously - of the smoke that used to be called Rûch.

You can also do good for yourself with the smoke: If you hold hats and caps over the smoke pan and quickly cover your head with them, you can prevent headaches. And if the ashes from the smoking pan are then scattered in the garden, you can expect a good harvest the following year.

Oracle customs: from throwing shoes to casting lots

Rachn alone is not enough. The darkest time of the year around the Rauhnächte is a kind of 'oracle time', and not only in Tyrol. A lot can be learned about the future during these eerie nights if you know how to consult the oracle.

St. Thomas' Day in particular has always been regarded as a real 'Lostag' in Tyrol.Los comes from ‚losn‘, which means 'to listen' or 'to hear'. Sudden knocking at midnight, rapidly rotting onion skins herald illness. People also liked to interpret the sounds of the stove, which had once been fired with wood. 'Singing fire' was an indication of future happiness, while 'hissing fire' signaled illness and death.

Dr. Petra Streng, my trusted folklore expert, told me about another custom, namely that of throwing shoes, which was particularly common among servants. This involved throwing a shoe backwards towards the door. If the toe pointed towards the door, this was a sign of a change to another lord.

Unmarried girls later used this oracle and also threw shoes over their shoulders towards the door. If the tip pointed towards the door, a wedding was imminent.

The Frau Percht must be calmed down

For a long time, the 'Frau Percht' and her entourage - including deceased children - caused fear and terror in Tyrolean customs. She was a kind of moral authority who had to be calmed down. Anyone who went to work late at night or hung out the washing did not want to prepare for Christmas in peace and was punished by her. Her corruptibility is reassuring: the good woman could be calmed down by putting food such as bread and milk on the table. Unfortunately, I don't know whether this is still the case today.

Love life oracle

An oracle that predicted the future love life was particularly popular. Around midnight on the night of December 20/21, girls would take a glowing piece of wood out of the oven and look at it closely. If it was straight, it heralded a handsome man. If it was rough, she was in for years of hard times with an irascible husband. It's just as well that there are hardly any wood-burning stoves left today.

Girls who wanted to play it safe when it came to finding a groom shouted three times at the window, asking what kind of man they were going to get. They deduced the future from the sound that followed. A gunshot heralded a hunter, a wagon driving by a carter and a creaking gate a farmer as the future husband. Whether the future person is an astronaut when the call is followed by a firework rocket remains to be seen.

And anyone who laughs at so much 'superstition' should be aware that oracle customs have survived to this day. From the 'annual horoscopes' in the newspapers to astrological analyses and lead casting, we all want to know what the future holds for us. That's why we pour lead on New Year's Eve, just to be on the safe side!

Ghosts and ghouls in Innsbruck's old town

For the first time this year, Innsbruck's old town will also be 'spooky'. At Stift and Schlossergasse, 'spirits of light' will populate the walls, light cones and 'gates to the underworld' will give visitors a pleasantly creepy feeling. In Waltherpark, the mystical atmosphere in which ghosts and the 'Wild Hunt' feel at home will prevail.

The light installations on the theme of Rauhnächte were created by a local artists' collective. On display at Stiftgasse, Schlossergasse and Waltherpark from 29.12.2023 to 6.1.2024, from 17:00 each day.

Our link to the topic: Modern smoking

The book published by Tyrolia-Verlag 'Räuchern in den Alpen' provides a good overview of how modern smoking can be done.

In it, the "Zammer Kräuterhex"Michaela Thöni-Kohler is dedicated to 80 native and/or long-established incense plants from forests, meadows and gardens, describes their mental and physical effects when used as incense, provides information on their use in folk medicine and gives tips on which incense mixtures each plant goes best with.