annual event since 1412

Pfingstritt tradition lives on in bad kötzting!

Imagine this: in the dead of night, you are called upon to administer the last rites to someone gravely ill. Six and a half kilometres away. The path leads through a densely forested area. With wild boars and perhaps even wolves. Duty calls, but will you ever make it? So, you ask young, strong men to accompany you. They will protect you and ensure that the sick person can still receive the sacraments.

This story has been passed down and recorded and is said to have taken place in the year 1412.

Out of gratitude for the safe return, the ride has been repeated every year since. Not to a sick person anymore, but to the Church of Saint Nicholas in Steinbühl, naturally including a Mass. Perhaps in the early years there were only ten men on horseback; today, there are seven hundred! Whether the priest was actually able to help the sick person back then, history does not tell us.

The parade through Bad Kötzting

And as is often the case with folk tales and legends, over the centuries the ride has become a melting pot of customs. The event is called the Pfingstritt (Pentecost Ride), and the men on horseback sing texts like “Holy Mary, full of grace.” And probably much more, but they sing in Bavarian dialect, so I couldn’t quite catch all of it.

Then there is the Pentecost Bride. She walks on foot and does not have a horse. In recent years, there have been some feminist stirrings, but they haven’t yet led to any changes. Her fiancé, who—like all the men—does have a horse, romantically rides to meet her at the end of the procession. They don’t get married for real, but it is a very festive occasion either way!

The parade passes by the Town Hall

The entire Pentecost weekend is filled with activities that always end in the Beer Tent (with a capital B). This Beer Tent can accommodate twenty-five hundred people who can eat, drink, dance, and… sit! And a beer? A full Maß (liter mug)! The serving ladies carry at least ten of them—so 10 litres plus the weight of the glasses—pressed against their bodies, using their arms, bosoms, and bellies. They’ve done this before…

Naturally, everyone is dressed in Trachten, meaning lederhosen and dirndl. We learned that you shouldn’t just tie the ribbon on your dirndl apron any which way. Tie it on the left, but already taken? Better bring brass knuckles, because according to custom, that means you’re “single.” The variations include virgin, widow, “taken”, “zum haben” (available), and waiting tables. So, ladies, be cautious!

Former Douzelage president Annigje Kruytbosch is flanked by current Douzelage Vice President Thorsten Wohleser (Judenburg, Austria)(L) and Julian Preidl of Bad Kötzting (R)

It was amazing to see how a town of about eight thousand people can mobilize so many participants: riding in the Pfingstritt, playing in the marching band, performing in street theatre, and volunteering in countless ways to make this event happen. And, of course, everyone who is drawn to it like a magnet—like us, being Mette and Jette from Holstebro, Miha from Skofja Loka, our vice president, Thorsten from Judenburg and Femie, Alexander and Annigje from Meerssen. Douzelage Bad Kötzting spoiled us once again. We had front-row seats everywhere and thoroughly enjoyed the company and their impressive traditions, for both young and old.

A big thank you to the whole team, that went out of their way to make us feel so welcome!

Annigje Kruytbosch, Meerssen

June 2025