AN AUSTRIAN WEDDING - Phil & Jill

It was hot!! Just too hot yesterday to think of going anywhere except to the local beach at St Gilgen on the Wolfgangsee lake. Even at 10am you need it was going to be a scorcher. So after a leisurely breakfast, we wandered down from the Das Stern (our hotel). It's a busy little town this one and the local shops sell a lot of traditional clothes. One is obviously an exclusive outlet as the models in the window have 'original' on it.

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The blue of the lake with the limestone crag mountains in the background made you feel happy to be alive. Meandering along the shoreline for about 700m we came to the local recreational area of the "beach".

This is how Austrians cope with a 30 plus degree day. Adults and kids love the flat, calm waters surrounded by 1,000 metre mountains. They bring their mats, towels, umbrellas, beach tents and fold up lounges and find a spot on the grassy banks of the lake. The water of the lake is crystal clear. There are wooden jettys for entering the water either from the diving board or steps. Kids play with a water pump set up, or slide on the elephant shape slide on the sandpit. Yachts are out on the water, as to are skiffs, stand up paddle boards and big unicorn and swan shaped blow up floaties.

We enjoyed the vista from a beautifully finished restaurant. As we returned to the hotel for lunch a large hooray came from those on board the newly arrived ferry. To our surprise a bride and groom emerged on to the jetty, followed by their wedding party and men with funny hats with streamers on them. The majority of the guests were all in traditional dress. The ones with pretty lace aprons and shiny green satin caught my eye. Traditional dress for ladies consists of puffed sleeve blouse, bib style bodice over a 7/8ths long skirt and a pretty apron. For men they wear their leather shorts mostly with eidelweiss flowers embroidered on them, braces, long socks, sometimes a vest and others with a felt fine lined jacket. Some of the older men wear a felt hat with a small feather on it. It is not just used for weddings as in this case, but every day in Austria we see young and old in this couture.

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The wedding photographer hastily arranged everyone in the square for a group photo. I was amazed that the planks to put people on different level were just there on the ready. I was to learn afterwards that everything is timed and co-ordinated by those men with the funny hats.

Members of a band turned up and started playing as the photos were being taken.

Then the master of ceremonies read the names on a list to show in what order they should form to make a procession behind the groom and his parents with the bride walking on her father's arm at the end of the procession with the little flowergirl and bridesmaid carrying the bride's train. So following the band playing rollicking traditional music they all happily walked to the church for the ceremony.

Off they went with the music being heard all over the village. Being a sucker for brides I was overjoyed to be in the right place to look on and enjoy the scene, thinking that would be the end of it as far as we were concerned. But I was wrong!!

After sitting further around the lake under the well trimmed trees (don't know the names of European trees but these had a broad leaf) we watched young people line up for banana boat rides and rubber duckie pull along rides we decided it was time to have a break from the sun and headed back to the room. On the walk back we noted the wedding party in full swing at the restaurant where we had dinner the night before.

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I was aroused enough to look outside when I could hear music from the band as well as lots of yelps . It appeared the band was on the move marching down the street playing their instruments and the groom locked arms with girls on either side, laughing and enjoying themselves. The band seemed to stop about 300m down the street. I said to Phil I am off to see what's happening.

That is when I met Klaus and after a little while we started speaking. Fortunately his broken English was good enough for me to get the whole story of the wedding. Here is Klaus -

Ah so.....the story goes the groom is from St Gilgen and the son of Klaus' friend. The girl is from another village and they had gone over to fetch her by ferry to bring her to the church. After the ceremony the group had gone for lunch at an Inn (would be the ne Ibtold you about before). Then at a certain time some guys take the bride away and following a very old story, the groom has to go and fetch her. That was what was happening at this inn .
Klaus was very excited to tell me , 'this is SO St Gilgen. They were having a regular party with the band sitting amongst the guests (Klaus said the 10 of them would be friends of the groom as he also played with the town's orchestra) playing traditional St Gilgen music. A lot of hunting songs. According to Klaus each village has its own traditions and he told me in a passionate voice that he couldn't imagine a wedding without music. Lots of singing and traditional hand clapping sounding like clattery clack. Very very fast. Klaus said once again this came from St Gilgen and if you went round to Mondsee you wouldn't hear this. He called it 'brossen' or a word to that effect. They were drinking trays of snaps being brought out by the restaurant waiters and laughing and having fun. Klaus said this would finish at 7.00pm. Klaus told me that he had often been a Master of Ceremonies at weddings and it was a very responsible thing to be. You couldn't afford to drink too much as there were so many components and timing was everything.

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At 6.30pm a little steam driven vehicle in the shape of a steam engine and carriage came by and out piled another whole lot of guests who joined in the drinking birthday song. It turned out that when the month of your birth was called you had to stand and drink your drink in one go, in other words skull a whole tankard of beer or a whole glass of wine - men and women. I raced back to the hotel and quickly steered Phil back to where the excitement was still happening. Duly at 7.00pm the band strikes up again , some people pile into the carriage and off they went with the remainder of the guests walking to the restaurant at the waterfront where we had had morning tea. Dancing broke out on the lawn. Whilst many other beachgoers were still enjoying the pleasure of the water in the cool of the evening.

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We had well and truly got caught up in this whole day event of a traditional Austrian wedding. What an incredible experience ..... I think it would be wonderful to be married in St Gilgen.

We happily went off to dinner. It was now nearly 8pm and the beautiful calm of the European night had fallen. Just then we hear the band again......and sure enough here it came playing down the street, the train was chugging along with the bride happily waving to the crowded restaurant goers....off to their final destination until midnight when the bride and groom will disappear and leave others to go home. I wondered how any of them were standing up at all and did smile when I saw the father of the groom practically being carried along by some younger guests. I did hear some rambling talk of revellers going home. They would certainly remember a St Gilgen wedding!!! And so will I !!!!