Country & People
Of traditions and people
Customs in the annual cycle
What is the significance of our customs and which ones can still be experienced?
Vorarlberg customs include many customs, traditions and festivals that are cultivated and practiced here. Vorarlberg is strongly influenced by Alemannic culture. Many of these customs have their roots in the rural and ecclesiastical cycle of the year and are predominantly Catholic. Visitors and locals can experience these traditions in Vorarlberg all year round.
Customs and traditions throughout the year - lived and cultivated
Of mystical traditions
Funkensonntag: An old custom that awakens the anticipation of spring.
Our book tip
Anna Engstler and Mathias Klocker visited all 17 alps in the Klostertal and their inhabitants in the summer of 2024. They took part in alpine life and accompanied the alpine farmers in their work. These encounters resulted in the book "Zweite Heimat - Alpen im Klostertal".
"Zweite Heimat" documents life and work on the Alps in the municipalities of Innerbraz, Dalaas and Klösterle am Arlberg. Expressive photographs by Mathias Klocker and documentary texts by Anna Engstler not only capture the nature and landscape, but also tell the personal stories and perspectives of the alpine farmers.
Lullaby "Müsle gang ga schlofa"
Müsle gang ga schlofa (performed here by the Vorarlberg State Youth Choir) is the most popular Vorarlberg lullaby and is known far beyond Vorarlberg. It has become an integral part of musical folk culture. Different regions of Vorarlberg have developed their own text variants.
Klostertal book "In the valley of the Alfenz"
The history of the Klostertal is the story of a species-rich flora and fauna, of a dialect that cannot be found anywhere else and of impressive natural spectacles shaped by water. It is also the story of the taming of the forces of nature, the development of the road over the Arlberg Pass and the construction of the Arlberg Railway.
The book "Im Tal der Alfenz", published by Klostertal Tourismus, tells these stories. The collected essays bear witness to remarkable cultural achievements and are supplemented by biographies of the valley's inhabitants.
Culture in the valleys
Each valley in the Vorarlberg Alpine region has its own culture and customs. Find out more about them.
