Kirtag

Kirtag, also Kirchtag or Kirchweih: village festival, originally the day on which the village church was consecrated, often the feast day of the patron saint at the same time; now often held in autumn as a harvest festival. Today Kirtage are small fairs that take place not only in villages but also in bigger towns. At a traditional Kirtag fair visitors will find stalls at which snacks, drinks, household equipment and toys are sold. There are also shooting ranges, roundabouts and sometimes even an amusement park. In the evening, there are dances at the village inn, now often in a large fair-ground tent. The organisation of the Kirtag fairs, which were originally governed by strict rules, was often in the hands of the Burschenschaften.

Documentary of ÖWF: E. G. Lies, Neustifter Kirtag, 1966.