Perchten horns in the picturesque alpine village of Scheffau, Austria

Story

The Sheer Madness of Perchtenlaufen

Chasing the spirits of winter through the streets of Tyrol

1. Lauf
Söllleuken Pass, Söll
Did we know what we were getting into? Absolutely not. We'd travelled there based on a throwaway line from "Ted Lasso" and a few stories about Austrians dressing up as Krampus to scare children at Christmas.
- It begins
  The drums start beating. Dum dum dum, dum dum dum, dum.
- Dum dum dumdumdumdum dum dum dum
  I can feel the drums in my bones.
- Warmth on a cold night
  The fires get closer and warm my face--the only part of my body exposed to the cold night.
- And then the horns
  Brrpp brrpp brrpp, brrpp brrpp brrpp, brrpp.
- A grand finale
  What a spectacle. Seriously, how is it that we're almost the only non-locals here?
2. Lauf
Söllleuken Pass, Scheffau
A few hours later, the sound of horns still echoing in our ears, we found ourselves watching the same "pass", or perchten group, performing in the picturesque alpine village of Scheffau. The setting was completely different, but the energy was just as intense. Possibly even moreso, given the wooden mountain chalets surrounding us, with all firefighters in the area on high alert for any stray sparks.
- A quick turnaround
  A few hours isn't long to recover from dancing in the sauna of a 30kg homemade cornhusk suit.
- Enough time for Advil to kick in
  I imagine it's needed to counter the neck pain from constantly waving around a giant pair of horns.
- No buildings were harmed in the making of this photo
  So the firefighters got to sit back and enjoy the show.
- The drumbeats roll on
  It gets to the point where it feels like even my heart is beating to the same rhythm.
- The snow falls
  The silence of snowfall is nowhere to be found in amongst the brrpp brrpp brrpp of horns.
3. Lauf
Perchtentreffen, Itter
We'd seen one group perform, and it left us wondering how this festival hadn't captured the world's imagination in the way other European festivals, like the Running of the Bulls, had. So, we had high hopes for an event featuring 8 different "passes." It delivered.
- A pile of...hopefully not heads
  The infinitely creepy and creative masks of the perchten, waiting for their turn to be worn.
- You could poke an eye out with those
  Good thing everyone around him is also wearing a mask.
- ...in a churchyard
  Right outside the church is the appropriate place to fight off the spirits of winter, right?
- Creating our own golden hour
  Surely if we make it look golden and summery enough, the spirits of winter will be tricked into hiding away for the season.
- So heavy you need chains to hold it up
  As if the costumes weren't heavy enough, the drums--originally fashioned from truck petrol tanks--have to be strapped on with chains.
- And the bells
  Suddenly, the drums and horns stop, only to be replaced by the jingling of many giant bells attached to dancing perchten.
- Many different types of fire
  Fireworks, breathing fire, magnesium flashes, coloured smoke, and burning horns. They had it all.
- The smoke settles
  And it's time for another pass to start their run.
4. Lauf
Perchtenlaufen, Rattenberg
The finale, and the perchten's final run of the year, was in the medieval town of Rattenberg. The narrow cobblestone streets were surrounded by stone buildings, whose walls became the canvas for giantdancing horned shadows. The drums and horns echoed off the walls, creating a cacophony of sound that was almost overwhelming.
- Burn it all
  The leader of the pass breathes fire on anything in his path. Mostly just his own broom.
- The children love it
  Run away screaming? Not Austrian kids. They love the spectacle, and some even take part.
- Horns and Christmas trees
  As you do.
- Can't you just hear the evil laughter?
  I couldn't. The thundering of DUM DUM DUM, DUM DUM DUM, DUM filled my brain.
- A classic Christmas scene
  It's hard to tell if there's a Christmas market or a riot happening here.
- A classic medieval town scene
  It almost looks like a normal night in Rattenberg, until you see all the silhouettes of horns.

When the drumbeats faded and the horns went quiet, I marvelled at what I'd witnessed over the last three nights. While we may not have effectively chased away winter (it snowed heavily the next evening), it certainly made winter feel just a little less heavy.

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