©Aigner Johannes

Easter Bonfires

A special Easter custom 

Every year at Easter time, young people from Lungau spend their time making the unique Easter fires, which are up to 12 meters high. In the night from Holy Saturday to Easter Sunday, these Easter fires are then lit with the consecrated peace light.

Of course, nobody wants to miss this spectacle, so the rural population gathers around the fire and celebrates together the reawakening of nature and the joy of the resurrection of the Lord. 

All Easter fire Events

©Infostelle Thomatal


Already in pre-Christian times, people lit fires in honor of the goddess Ostara and paid homage to her with their own festival of light. In the year 739, St. Bonifaz reported on the Easter fires of the Germanic tribes, whose customs he tried to eradicate with great zeal. From this time on, the church consecrated the Easter fire and gave it a Christian character. The custom of the Easter fires has been preserved until today.

The following, allegedly true incident is also linked to these Lungau Easter fires: When in 1797 the French invaded the Lungau, they were so surprised by the firecrackers that they thought they were surrounded and surrounded by enemies on all sides. They fled head over heels.