May Tree Festival / Maibaumfest

Today the Stiegl Brewery in Salzburg hosted a May Tree Festival, and so to satisfy my interest in the Maibaum we went on a Mother's Day outing. It was a perfect day for a festival with sunny skies and warm temperatures, and lots of other families were out to enjoy it too. We arrived shortly after the starting time, and found tree lifters (they must had a more official name than that, but I don't know what) were just getting themselves organized to start raising the tree. Once all the various pitchfork poles and assorted levers were in place, they gave a loud heave-ho, raising the tree a few feet into the air, and then it was time for their first beer break.

Since it was obviously going to be a slow process, we left the tree and headed over to the children's area which had all kinds of activities and games. The great thing about this festival was that entry into it was free and the children's games were also all free! Nikolas spent a lot of time trying to master the diabolo juggler and did really well with getting it spinning, though had a tough time trying to toss it into the air. He also enjoyed having an archery lesson! While there were different stations for painting and drawing and friendship bracelets and the like, Nikolas skipped all these, a mini carousel-type ride, sling shots (which are much harder than they look) and all sorts of go-carts and scooters and crazy pedal contraptions rounded out his fun.

After a while, we were hungry, and so we rejoined the crowd near the Maibaum and the oom-pa-pa band. The tree was making slow progress, about one hoist per song, with a constant supply of beer being delivered to the lifters which explains why it took almost three and a half hours to get the tree in place! No one seemed to mind the slow pace at all, small girls in dirndls dancing around while boys in lederhosen clapped in time to the music (traditional clothing was in full force for this event, not only by the tree lifters, but also the children and adults in attendance).

The Maibaum looked tall when it was lying on the ground, but I have to say it seemed even taller as it was lifted higher and higher into the air. If the tiny men standing at the base of the tree don't give you enough perspective, look up to the very top at the triangular thing -- it is a 10+ foot artificial Christmas tree! It was a great festival, a great slice of Austrian culture, and a great Mother's day outing. You can see more photos in the photo albums in the right side bar or by clicking here.