"Perchten" monsters in Germany ward off darkness with traditional procession

Record ID: 1369393

  • Title: "Perchten" monsters in Germany ward off darkness with traditional procession
  • Date: 23rd December 2018
  • Summary: LITTLE GIRL FRIDA WAVING, DRESSED AS PERCHT, WEARING SELF-MADE PAPER MASK (SOUNDBITE) (German) FRIDA'S MOTHER, ANDREA (NO LAST NAME GIVEN), SAYING: "It's very important. A tradition from Bavaria is always important and we should definitely keep it alive. Last year my daughter was still scared and this year, she is a Percht herself." FRIDA FEEDING COINS TO PERCHT MONSTER, PERCHT SWALLOWING COINS AND SAYING "DANKE" (THANK YOU)
  • Embargoed: 6th January 2019 11:06
  • Keywords: Perchten Bavaria tradition wooden masks winter Christmas darkness
  • Location: KIRCHSEEON, GERMANY
  • City: KIRCHSEEON, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Human Interest / Brights / Odd News,Society/Social Issues,Editors' Choice
  • Reuters ID: LVA0049C5YZBT
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Preparing for Christmas has a special meaning in the small Bavarian town of Kirchseeon near Munich where monsters known as "Perchten" perform a traditional dance to scare away winter and darkness.
    "Perchten" processions are traditionally held between December 21 and January 6, the shortest and darkest days of the year and the monsters march, sing and dance in their effort to call nature back to life.
    Andrea, a local woman in this town on the eastern outskirts of Bavaria's capital Munich said it was very important to keep the tradition alive.
    Full of joy, Andrea recounted how only a year ago, her small daughter Frida was still scared of the monsters.
    "This year, she is a Percht herself," Andrea said with a smile.
    The leader of the Kirchseeon procession, Wolfgang Uebelacker, told Reuters that according to an old saying, grain the following year will grow as high as the Perchten jump.
    According to Uebelacker, the tradition dates back to the pre-Christian era, though experts disagree on exactly where and when it began.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2018. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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