Christmas tree at Weissensee, a small lake near Ehrwald in Tyrol, Austria
© nagelestock/Alam
O Tannenbaum. Smoking nights in Austria
Behold the lovely Tannenbaum ('fir tree' for non-German speakers). Here in Tyrol, Austria, Christmas Eve marks the first of three Rauchnächte, or smoking nights. As a long-standing Tyrolean tradition, people in this Alpine region burn frankincense and herbs in homes, barns and stables to avert bad luck. The custom is then repeated on the other two smoking nights, New Year's Eve and the night before Epiphany.
It's said that everything that happens on these nights is of great significance, including one's dreams. Whatever you dream on smoking nights is thought to be a message from above foretelling what the next year may bring. Pardon us while we drift off to the Christmas carol O Tannenbaum currently playing in our heads. Sweet dreams!
Related Images
Burrowing owl chicks near Pawnee National Grassland in Colorado, USA
Ancient theatre of Taormina in Sicily, Italy
A path winding through a forest of bluebells in Hertfordshire
Tree in blue agave field in the tequila producing region near Atotonilco, Jalisco, Mexico
Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
A young giant sequoia sprouting out of an old log in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, California, USA
Dawn light on Eilean Na Mòine island, Loch Eilt, Scotland
Whangarei Falls, Whangarei Scenic Reserve on North Island, New Zealand
Today Bing
A herd of reindeer in Norway
