| A German Christmas | |
7. Dezember
Christkindlschießen (Christ Child gunfire)
Berchtesgadener Böller
The “silent night” of the Bavarian Alps is suddenly pierced by the sound of gunfire! Gunshots echo throughout the Berchtesgaden region of Bavaria at midnight on Christmas Eve. The 1200 members of the shooting club known as the Berchtesgadener Böller spread out in the Berchtesgaden valley in their traditional costumes to welcome the Christ Child at the stroke of midnight. Using old-fashioned pistols and small cannons called Böller, they fire off about 7000 shots. A week later they repeat their noisy custom for New Year's Eve. First mentioned in 1666, the Berchtesgaden shooting tradition goes back to the invention of gunpowder (Schießpulver) and pagan times when loud noises were thought to drive away evil spirits.
WEB > Stille Nacht, Böller kracht (Deutsche Welle)
WEB > Böllerschießen - Historie
BACK > Adventskalender
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