Austria / Germany

Almabtrieb II (Cow Festival)

In Austria many farmers bring the cows to pasture up on the mountains for the summer. In the fall, the cows are brought back down and this occasion is celebrated by decorating the cows and parading them through town. Nowadays this is mostly done for the tourists but the locals still watch from their balconies. The farmers spend a lot of money on the cow bells and decorations and some of the stitched headpieces and bells cost thousands of Euros! Of course, it wouldn't be a celebration without music and drinking afterwards.

Note: You may think that the head decorations are rather heavy for the cows but Uri insists that the cows never walk more proudly than on this day and that the next day they always seem a little sad for it all to be over. *grin*

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99 kegs of beer on the ground...