Summer
Erecting the maypole is an ancient fertility tradition.
For the maypole a beautiful straight grown tree with about 30 to 34 meters length is selected, felled and then decorated in the morning of the 30th of April. Legend has it that debranching the tree exorcises evil spirits and witches that might be hidden under the bark in form of beetles.
The maypole is prepared acording to the old tradition by the Club for the Preservation of Traditional Mountain Costumes 'D'Ischler' (in the Kurpark Bad Ischl at about 5.00 p.m) and than erected by hand, which can take up to two hours. This is done with the help of long poles, the 'Schwoageln'.
The whole night the tree is strictly guarded so he cannot not be stolen or damaged by youths from other villages. Though the 'Maypole stealing " has got very precise rules.
Furthermore in Bad Ischl maypoles be errected in the following small towns: Pfandl, Perneck, Jainzen and Lindau.
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