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LIVING IN AUSTRIA

How to celebrate Easter like an Austrian

From cakes in the shape of a baby lamb to 'Green Thursday', Easter in Austria can feel a little different. Here's your guide to the festivities.

Published: 26 March 2021 13:33 CET
Updated: 6 April 2023 17:24 CEST
Easter egg decorations
ALEXANDER KLEIN / AFP

Easter traditions begin in Austria in the weeks leading up to the big day, as shops and bakeries start to fill up with seasonal goods such as Osterpinzen (a kind of sweet bread roll), Schinken im Brotteig (ham in a bread crust), colourful hardboiled eggs and cakes in the shape of a baby lamb (Osterlamm). 

Here are some examples of what the Osterlamm might look like – and one of a pretty sad looking little lamb. 

For those unsure why a lamb-shaped cake should take centre stage this time of year, here is a brief explanation of its history and purpose during Easter time.

As well as looking cute, delighting children, and tasting nice, Osterlamm has a serious side.

There are lots of different Osterlamm recipes available online – most requiring a lamb-shaped cake form – but the ready-made version is also easy to pick up from certain shops in Austria.

The following link breaks down the Osterlamm and at least tries to answer why it is so important for Austrians. 

READ MORE: ‘Osterlamm’ and what it means to Austria

Decorations

Many people decorate their homes with an Easter centrepiece arrangements of Palmkätzchen (also known as Palmbuschen, Palmkatzln, Palmkatzerl or pussy willow in English) and decorated wooden eggs, though some people add other foliage to the decoration. 

Palmsonntag (Palm Sunday) is celebrated in Austria by the blessing of Palmkätzchen rather than palms.

An Austrian folk custom says that if you bury these blessed Palmkätzchen, they protect your fields from bad weather during the year.

Green Thursday

Maundy Thursday follows or Gründonnerstag (Green Thursday), as it is known in Austria. It is traditional to eat spinach and other green foods such as kale, herbs or salads on this day, hence the name.

On this day in much of Austria and also in Catholic areas of Germany it is said the church bells fall silent and “fly to Rome”, so children are tasked with making a noise with wooden rattles to announce the times of day and call for church services.

READ MORE: What does Gründonnerstag mean in Austria?

In some parts of Austria, groups of boys walk from house to house with baskets and their ratchets to collect eggs.

Good Friday

Karfreitag (Good Friday) is not really celebrated by Catholics and is no longer a public holiday for Protestants living in Austria.

Easter fires

The most elaborate Easter rituals in Austria are said to be in Styria and Carinthia, where   on the Saturday before Easter (Holy Saturday or Karsamstag) it is common to have a bonfire or Osterfeuer outside together with family and friends.

However, due to the coronavirus pandemic this year, there will be restrictions on traditional Easter bonfires. In Carinthia they will only be allowed in public between 6am and 8pm in Carinthia.

The number of participants will also be limited.

Traditional Easter bonfires will be restricted this year in Austria. Image: AFP

Easter Sunday

On Easter Sunday in Austria, children enjoy Easter egg hunts and a large Saturday dinner and/or Sunday breakfast with ham, coloured eggs, Osterpinzen bread and special cakes. Church bells ring out, having returned from Rome.

A popular game is Eierpecken (egg pecking), in which people bang coloured eggs together until they break. Then the winner has to eat the eggs. 

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LIVING IN AUSTRIA

Are the Austrian summer holidays simply too long for parents?

Given many parents in Austria struggle to organise childcare every year for the summer holidays, some believe the break is simply too long.

Published: 24 July 2024 12:05 CEST
Updated: 27 July 2024 07:49 CEST
Are the Austrian summer holidays simply too long for parents?

As another school year ends, parents still struggle to organise childcare for the nine-week summer break across Austria. The extended summer holiday, a staple of the Austrian education system, sparks an annual debate about its length and impact on families.

While the long break allows pupils to rest, recharge, and explore their interests, it poses significant challenges for working parents. 

Many struggle to find affordable and reliable childcare options for extended periods, often resorting to juggling work schedules, relying on extended family, or paying for expensive summer camps.

READ ALSO: The best ideas for what to do with kids in Austria this summer

The debate on whether or not the “long” duration is “still appropriate” popped up again this year.

According to a recent survey by the Chamber of Labour (AK), parents spend an average of €415 per child on vacation care. Together with the trade union federation, the Chamber of Labour is calling for financial support and a sixth week of vacation for parents. 

A Der Standard survey shows that 61 percent of parents take vacation days to care for children—though one parent taking all their yearly time off cannot cover a nine-week holiday. About 27 percent of parents work from home during the summer holidays, juggling childcare and their typical work tasks. Some 12 percent reduce their work hours (with, of course, a pay cut) to manage a long time without kindergarten and school.

Long ‘gap’

Some educational experts told Der Standard that the long nine-week holiday is “noticeable in the children’s performance.” Former teacher and now teacher trainer Verena Hohengasser told the daily newspaper that returning to school is a challenge for both children and teachers.

Education experts advocate for shorter summer vacations, with two weeks off in Whitsun (early June) and two weeks of Easter (around April). This model is followed by several German states, for example.

Critics point out that splitting summer vacations won’t solve the childcare problem – even if the nine weeks are not consecutive; they are still more than any parent can afford to take from work. 

READ ALSO: When are Austria’s school summer holidays in 2024?

The childcare difficulties will only be solved by either giving parents more time off (something the AK advocates for, as mentioned), creating more public summer daycares and childcare facilities, or a combination of both.

EU comparison

However, Austria is far from having the longest summer holidays in the European Union. 

Just like Austria, which has nine weeks of holidays, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Sweden, Poland, and other Eastern European countries also have between eight and ten weeks. 

Countries such as France, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, and Norway have under eight weeks of summer school holidays. Meanwhile, Spain, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, and others offer students between 10 and 12 weeks of summer holidays. 

As Austrian media reported, the longest time off is in Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Latvia, where students get more than 12 weeks of summer holidays.

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