Every year on Crazy Thursday, the village of Patsch celebrates a unique women-only carnival celebration. In 2022, this tradition has been marked as an intangible cultural heritage of Austria by the UNESCO.
The most noticeable difference to other Tirolean Shrovetide celebrations is that the participants called “Schellenschlagerinnen” are exclusively women. Wearing wooden masks, lederhosen and hats decorated with feathers and flowers, the women of Patsch cherish the tradition of ringing cowbells on the Thursday before the Christian season of Lent.
Legend has it that in 1958 the male villagers felt too lazy to make their cowbells ring. Without much ado their wives stepped in, took over the helm in this important tradition - and continue doing so until this day! Together, the Patscher Schellenschlagerinnen perform a special dance of jumps and bows, with the bells producing a mix of high and low tones. The wooden masks and costumes are usually passed on within the family from mother to daughter or from grandmother to granddaughter.
The most noticeable difference to other Tirolean Shrovetide celebrations is that the participants called “Schellenschlagerinnen” are…
