Perchten Run
5 January 2026 — Hear the bells ring – winter, off you go!
Perchten are masked figures from the Alpine regions of Bavaria, Austria and neighbouring lands. They wear carved wooden masks, furs and heavy bells. By tradition, their processions take place during the Twelve Nights, the period between Christmas and Epiphany (6 January). With noise and ringing, people drive away the dark forces of winter and call for a good year. A distinction is often made between the “beautiful” Perchten, who bring fortune, and the “fearsome” horned ones. Scholars debate the deeper origins of the custom, and its link to pagan beliefs is not firmly proven. It resembles the Bulgarian kukeri and survakari, who also chase away evil with masks and bells. The event falls in the darkest part of the year, shortly after the winter solstice, when days slowly begin to lengthen. The night sky makes a fitting stage for the procession.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver star figure made of luminous dots and lines, like a constellation, shaped as a striding Perchten dancer with a carved horned mask and a belt of bells
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