The 'Kirchtag' feast day has taken place since the Middle Ages and has always been an ideal opportunity for lively celebrations as a village community, as well as sealing trade deals here and there. This tradition is still strong to this day in South Tyrol as well as many other regions and is actually held to celebrate the annual consecration of a church.
In Ridanna, or Ridnaun, the local associations arrange the celebrations in August and have got together a varied and fun-packed programme.
The celebrations get under-way at 3 pm on Saturday, with the tractor-pulling contest. In teams of 4, participants put their muscle strength to the test in an attempt to win the great prizes on offer. From 8 pm onwards, the feast continues under the large marquee. A shuttle bus service is also provided at 1:30 and 3:00, so: Don’t drink and drive!
On Sunday the actual consecration (Kirchtag) takes place. It starts at 9 am with the celebratory mass on the fairground. At 10 am, there will be a performance by the Knappenkapelle [miner's band] of Ridanna, and at 12 noon, the music band of Innerpfitsch will play. From 2 pm onwards, the Burgschröflern, a 7-head brass-band from the Gschnitztal in Tyrol will play to raise spirits and get the dancing going.
Throughout the day, demonstrations will be held with old farming apparatus and tools once used in agriculture, craft trades and the mines. This will allow visitors to see how food and other products were literally wrested from the land in ancient times. The Schuhplattlerinnen, a group of typical folk dancers of the Wipptoler Plattlgitschn will also perform, and the Goaslschnöller (local whip lashers) and the Tiroler Riesin (Tyrolean giant) will also be on show. What or who are they? The 'Goasl' is a whip that creates a loud noise when lashed. It is not as easy as it seems, however. The Goaslschnöller show all their skills in the group performance. The 'Tiroler Riesin' Maria Faßnauer came from Ridanna and lived between the 19th and 20th centuries. She is believed to have been between 2.20 and 2.40 m tall, and before World War I, she travelled both at home and abroad as an attraction at annual fairs. She is present at every Ridanna Kirchtag as a larger-than-life figure.
Many busy hands are there to help out at the Kirchtag and to serve superb specialities of the regional cuisine. Children can look forward to a fun-packed fringe programme.
We wish you all a lot of fun!