Kirchweih Festival in Vilseck, Germany

A few weeks ago, our town of Vilseck held their annual Kirchweih festival, also known as a Kirwa fest. A Kirwa festival is a German festival to celebrate the consecration of the church. A large fir tree known as a Kirwabaum is raised up in town and decorated with wreaths and ribbon. Later on at night, there is usually food and a band playing as well. The festival in Vilseck was held at the local castle and lasted three days but we just went for about an hour or so on a Sunday to check it out. We weren't sure what to expect when we went to the festival but I wanted to experience a true German tradition, even if it was all in German.

We went to the festival on a Sunday afternoon before many people started to show up. We stood around and admired the Kirwabaum and the old architecture of the castle. Soon a band started to walk into the castle courtyard playing traditional oompah/polka music, followed by a group of young men and women in dirndl's and lederhosen. The group of young men and women stepped on the little stage underneath the Kirwabaum and began to dance a waltz and later on chanted some German cheers. As you would expect, I didn't understand anything they said but it was still fun to watch. After the dancing and cheers, some of the dancers started nailing objects to the Kirwabaum. I'm not sure the significance of that but I'm sure it is part of the Kirchweih tradition. When they were done nailing objects to the tree, a young woman climbed up a ladder to the top of the tree, pulled a basket off of it and started throwing candy out. The small children below rushed to pick up any candy they could find. I'm sure they enjoyed that part of the festival. ;)

After the throwing of the candy, Nick and I left. It was getting really cold and Nick wasn't feeling well so we decided it was best to go back home. Even though we only experienced part of the festival, I still enjoyed watching such a unique German tradition. If you ever visit or live in Germany, you should be able to experience a festival like this too. I was told they are held in many different towns throughout the country so make sure to check out your nearest Kirchweih fest as well!

P.S.: Scroll down the page and check out a clip of the dancing at the end of this post!