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AUSTRIAN TRADITIONS

Heilige Drei Könige: What’s open on Austria’s public holiday on January 6th?

Austria's first national public holiday of the year after January 1st is Epiphany - so what closes down and what stays open on January 6th?

Published: 5 January 2024 10:26 CET
Updated: 6 January 2024 11:14 CET
Heilige Drei Könige: What's open on Austria's public holiday on January 6th?
January 6th is a holiday celebrating the Three Holy Kinds in Austria (Photo by Jonathan Meyer on Unsplash)

In 2024, January 6th falls on a Saturday, so most people on a regular working calendar won’t really be able to make the most of it.

However, just as with any other holiday in the country, almost every store and supermarket will be closed, leading to long lines and packed stores on Friday as people hunker down for the weekend (Sundays are also rest days in Austria, so if you need to fill up the fridge, now is the time). 

Why is January 6th a public holiday in Austria?

Like most national holidays, this one also has religious roots – more specifically, Catholic roots. On January 6th, Catholics celebrate “adoration of the Magi” when the three kings visited the newborn Jesus Christ.

In Austria, the holiday is known as Heilige Drei Könige, or Three Holy Kings. 

READ ALSO: Reader question: What happens in Austria when a holiday falls on a weekend?

What’s still open?

Most stores and supermarkets will be closed because it is a public holiday. However, restaurants are still open, and if you find yourself with an empty fridge, convenience stores in petrol stations and supermarkets inside train and metro stations are still allowed to open in Austria, even on public holidays.

Some bakery businesses also stay open – but might have special hours, so it’s best to check with your local Anker, Ströck, Der Mann and Felber. 

Vienna supermarkets

Billa in Herrnhuterhaus (Neuer Markt 17) extends shopping hours from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, catering to customers’ supply needs. Billa am Praterstern is open between 6:00 AM and 10:00 PM, providing a late shopping option.

Billa at Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof / Julius Tandler Platz (9th district) operates from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM, offering additional convenience for residents. Billa at Westbahnhof / Europaplatz (15th district) is open from 5:30 AM to 11:00 PM for their shopping needs.

Spar in AKH / Währinger Gürtel (9th district) serves customers from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Interspar at the central train station (10th district) operates between 8:00 AM and 11:00 PM, offering convenience for travellers staying nearby.

READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about supermarkets in Austria

Spar in the Floridsdorf clinic (21st district) is a supply option for Floridsdorf residents.

BIPA store at Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof in Vienna remains open on Sundays, offering various cosmetic and household products, including detergents and cleaning materials.

OKAY markets across the city, including those at the main university and Wien Mitte, operate with varying opening hours. U3 supermarket at Westbahnhof welcomes shoppers from 7:00 AM to midnight.

Another easy (though likely expensive) solution is to head to a convenience store at a gas station. Some of them can offer quite a large selection of food and drinks and stay open over holidays – they are also a good alternative for late-night shopping in some cases.

How do Austrians celebrate the holiday?

Several traditions take place on this date, involving various customs and practices. It’s common for people to take down their Christmas decorations and pack away their Christmas trees for the year.

READ ALSO: COMPARE: How do Austria’s public holidays stack up against the rest of Europe?

Another common tradition observed on this day is the Sternsinger (star singers), a group of young kids dressed as kings who visit homes, singing in groups of four. They might sing, offer blessings for the home, and typically seek donations for charitable causes organised by the churches.

It’s not uncommon to see homes marked with chalk just above the door in Austria. This marking signifies that the Sternsinger has blessed the house. They mark the year of the blessing and the three kings’ initials – Kaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar – over the doorway.

Religious families may go to a solemn mass at the church and gather for a significant family meal to commemorate this date. For Orthodox believers, January 6th also marks Christmas Eve. 

READ ALSO: Which days off will workers in Austria get in 2024?

When is the next public holiday in Austria?

After Saturday, people in Austria will have to wait a while for the following public holiday, as there are no official national ones in February or March. However, Easter Monday (again, a Christian celebration) will fall on April 1st.

As this holiday is always celebrated on Mondays in Austria, it will give you a chance to enjoy a long weekend.

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WHAT'S ON IN VIENNA

What’s open and what’s closed on Ascension Day in Austria?

On Thursday it is Ascension Day, or Christi Himmelfahrt in German, one of the many May public holidays this year. Here is what is going on in and around the capital, and what will be closed.

Published: 6 May 2024 14:11 CEST
Updated: 8 May 2024 16:25 CEST
What’s open and what’s closed on Ascension Day in Austria?

This year, Ascension Day, or Christi Himmelfahrt, a national holiday in Austria, falls on May 9th. Many people working in Austria take the holiday as an opportunity to enjoy a longer weekend by also taking Friday off.

Ascension Day is a Christian celebration that honours the belief that Jesus ascended into heaven. It takes place 40 days after Easter Sunday and always falls on a Thursday. According to Christian tradition, this day signifies the end of Jesus’ time on Earth and his return to heaven.

In Austria, Ascension Day is marked by different local traditions. Villages host processions, and in rural areas, people walk through fields during the “days of supplication,” usually on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Wednesdays. These processions have been part of the tradition since the sixth century.

Many churches all over Austria hold special masses to celebrate the day. In some, the occasion is celebrated with a custom where a statue of the resurrected Jesus is pulled through a hole in the ceiling and up into the church’s attic.

READ ALSO: Everything that changes in Austria in May 2024

What is happening in and around Vienna?

Ascension Day offers a great opportunity to spend some relaxed time with friends and family. If you want to follow tradition, you can enjoy some poultry, which is typical to eat in Austria on this day.

If you live in Vienna, you can spend the holiday exploring some of the events taking place in the city.

The day marks the start of the Steffl Kirchtag festival (May 9th to 20th), held at Stephansplatz in the heart of the city. Here, you can find arts and crafts, stalls offering food and drinks, music, performances, and concerts.

If you want to enjoy some culture, you should check out the many interesting exhibitions and festivals currently happening in Vienna.

For example, the exhibition Smart World at the Vienna Museum of Technology is open for visitors and explores how artificial intelligence is changing our world. The ongoing festival Klima Biennale Wien is also open to the public and focuses on climate change through various exhibitions and performances.

If you are interested in enjoying a musical, the first performance of The Sound of Music at the Vienna Volksoper is scheduled for this day.

You can also celebrate the occasion and the morning off by enjoying the night before at the Gürtel Connection. This event takes place in 14 different bars along the Gurtel, the major avenue surrounding the inner city. The evening offers 50 different gigs and performances and you can spend as much as you like on the entry.

Most bars open their doors around 7pm and you can find out more about the event on their website.

If you instead want to spend time in nature without going too far away from the city, enjoying the day in the Vienna Woods, Wiener Wald, is a great idea. If you want to do some exercise while enjoying great views, you can explore some of the many city hikes, known as Stadtwanderweg, which you can read more about here.  

If you are up for a slightly longer journey, you can reach many interesting places with a short train ride. You can explore some great destinations to visit here.

 
 
 
 
 
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READ ALSO: 4 beautiful lakes you can easily reach from Vienna by public transport

What will be closed?

As Ascension Day is a public holiday in Austria, banks, post offices, supermarkets, and general medical practices will be closed. Most pharmacies will also be closed, except for those functioning as emergency pharmacies, which will remain open during the holiday. You can find a list of these pharmacies here.

Hospital emergency departments will be open if you need medical care. Additionally, each region offers a holiday on-call service (Wochenend—und Feiertagsbereitschaftsdienst) if you prefer not to go to the hospital. You can call 141 for medical services during holidays, such as a doctor’s visit or to obtain certain medications.

Public Transport

During the holiday, public transport will continue operating in Vienna and all over Austria, although sometimes with a reduced timetable, similar to that on Sundays.

In Vienna, trams, metros, and buses run with slightly reduced timetables. Here you find more information on the timetable for different lines, click here.

Mainline train services often run with a near-normal timetable. You can check out the timetable for ÖBB here.

READ NEXT: Eleven unmissable events in Austria in May 2024

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