Schnappviecher of Egetmann

Every odd year the quiet Italian village of Tramin gets really noisy. The Egetmann parade is a festival that features many characters. The millers, the carters, the bride, the wildman. But the one character that’s hard not to notice is the 8’ tall Schnappviecher. 

Resembling muppets with wooden teeth and  metal tongues, the 30 or so Schnappviechers run through the streets clacking their jaws causing an cacophonous echo through the village. They rampage around through tiny alleyways and wide streets making stops at fountains, squares and even the elderly care facility. When they stop, there’s usually a small performance where a “butcher” uses a fake bloody knife to kill the Schnappviecher who represents winter. Much of this is conjecture since the origin of the parade is shrouded in mystery. It’s referenced in the historical records as far back as 1591 with the first full description of the festival in 1876. The current celebration falls on Shrove Tuesday but the church often tried absorb pagan rituals by moving them to Christian holidays. Either way, it seems obvious that the parade is an allegory for banishing winter and welcoming spring. The Schnappviecher itself is like a more benign cousin of Krampus or Perchten. Especially since they have no arms to hold switches. Some of the costumes date back 30 years and are passed from person to person within families. These monsters, as well as the witches and Wild Men give the parade a Halloween-esque feeling with many observers donning costumes as well.

 WARNING: There are elements of this parade that are extremely racist. Many performers appear in Roma-face and are named “poor gypsy”.  There were also spectators in black face.