Smoking nights in Austria Dec 24, 2021

Smoking nights in Austria

Behold the lovely Tannenbaum ("fir tree" for you non-German speakers). Here in Tyrol, Austria, Christmas Eve marks the first of three Rauchnächte, or "smoking nights." A long-standing Tyrolean tradition, people in this Alpine region burn frankincense and herbs in homes, barns, and stables to avert bad fortune. The custom is then repeated on the other two "smoking nights," New Year"s Eve and the night before Epiphany.

© nagelestock/Alamy

palette

Today in History

Dec 24, 2018The birthplace of a classic Christmas carol
Dec 24, 2019Dashing through the snow
Dec 24, 2020Hey, don t you guys have somewhere to be?
Dec 24, 2022Christmas Eve
Dec 24, 2023Christmas Eve
Dec 24, 2024Silent night, sparkling lights, and hearts full of joy

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov 3, 2022International Day for Biosphere Reserves
Aug 5, 2020Aw shucks, It s Oyster Day
Apr 30, 2019It s International Jazz Day
Feb 4, 2018Male kori bustard, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Mar 4, 2023Mount Pico, Portugal
Apr 5, 2025Gaztelugatxe at sunset, Basque Country, Spain
May 17, 2021Happy Syttende Mai!
Dec 29, 2019Helloooooo, Innsbruck
Jan 14, 2018Sanday Island and the North Sea, Scotland
Dec 3, 2024Amber Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Apr 27, 2020That s quite a schnoz, baby tapir
Nov 24, 2023Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, Washington
Feb 13, 2020Midwinter freeze
Nov 5, 2021Pont Rouge
Apr 11, 2021The mountain of 30,000 sakura
Aug 5, 2023Atlantic puffin, Iceland
Jul 16, 2019Hemingway’s Keys
Feb 6, 2023Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
Dec 16, 2021Dancing in The Nutcracker
Mar 23, 2025World Meteorological Day
Aug 24, 2023Shark Fin Cove, California
May 26, 2022Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in Costa Rica
Oct 25, 2021Dyavolski Most
Jul 13, 2022International Rock Day
Apr 3, 2021A light at the edge of the world
Jun 29, 2023International Day of the Tropics
Dec 6, 2022Everglades National Park turns 75
Jun 11, 2019Installation art turns heads
Apr 29, 2025Formal garden at Château de Villandry, Loire Valley, France
Jan 24, 2022Manhattan