!!!Brauch

Customs and Traditions: Early folkloristic research saw customs as 
mythological traditions which had developed from Germanic or Celtic 
rituals and were primarily concerned with fertility symbolism or the 
warding off of demons, functions which have been retained up to this 
day. Modern research, however, takes a different approach to the 
question of when and how customs and traditions originated. It has 
become possible to pinpoint more precisely when many customs began. 
Functional and cultural aspects and the connection with other 
festivities have also been researched in greater detail. Customs are 
at present understood as cultural behavioural patterns for recurring 
situations, based on social obligations. Customs not only have an 
important social function, but also provide identity for groups, 
municipalities or parts of cities. Folklore research focuses 
particularly on ritualizations in modern everyday life.

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Changes in customs and traditions used to be interpreted as a threat 
to ancient cultural values and as an expression of declining European 
culture in general. Today, however, research presents a more 
differentiated view of the situation. Tourism and the culture industry 
were quick to realize the economic profitability of customs and 
traditions and have contributed to their continuation. Since the turn 
of the century, certain forms of customs and traditions have also been 
increasingly promoted on a local level. The quest for "real", 
"original" customs has confronted folklore research with the problem 
of what has been called "pseudo folklore"

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At present, the following tendencies are discernible: Already existing 
customs and traditions have been partly modernized, others have been 
newly introduced and have become popular very quickly; new supporter 
groups have developed (e.g. clubs and societies). At the same time, 
customs and traditions have changed into regionally typical cultural 
characteristics, mostly referring to valleys or individual provinces, 
such as the Funken-Brauch in Vorarlberg ( Bonfire Customs), the  
Schemenlauf in the Tyrol, or the  Ranggeln in Salzburg. Customs and 
traditions are also increasingly used to enhance Austria's media image 
and as a specific tourist attraction in the media. A similar tendency 
to return to customs and traditions can in fact be discerned all over 
Europe.

!Literature
G. Kapfhammer, Brauchtum in den Alpenlaendern, 1977; I. 
Weber-Kellermann, Saure Wochen, frohe Feste, 1985; M. Scharfe, 
Brauchforschung, 1991; H. M. Wolf, Das Brauchbuch, 1992.


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