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
Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario, Canada
Spire Cove in Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska, United States
Joshua trees under the Milky Way, California, United States
Andean cocks-of-the-rock, Ecuador
Kachina Bridge, Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah, United States
Wat Tang Sai Temple in Ban Krut, Thailand
National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, DC, United States
Female black-naped monarch nesting
Today on Bing
Christmas market scene in Germany
Town Hall Square, Tartu, Estonia
Amalga Harbour, Alaska, USA
