Perchtenacht

Ancestral Holiday

Feast of Saint Nicholas (December 5th)

In my interpretation as a non-Christian ancestral holiday, Perchtenacht is a day of intense smoke cleansing; the house is prepared, then smoke cleansed in order to remove all negativity, entities, and bad luck that has accumulated throughout the year. The walls and windows, doorframes, and mirrors are ethen annointed with a Luck drawing oil with secondary cleansing and protection qualities.

Inspirations

The Alpine German Perchten and Rauhnächte, and their combination.

Of the Perchten figures, there are two types –

Schönperchten: The beautiful, bright Perchten dressed in silvers and whites. They aid humankind in walking towards the light, and to a new year and beginning, and are said to deliver blessings of wealth and good luck during the Twelve Nights;
Schiachperchten: The monstrously ugly Perchten with fangs and tusks, horns, tails, and beastly, fur-covered faces. These are the bad spirits that come to haunt the living, but in some traditions are said to drive away evil spirits, ghosts, and demons.

Translated, the German word Rauhnächte, means smoked nights. Essentially, folklore dictates that the homes, stables and sacred areas are smoked with incense to drive out evil spirits.

Also defined as a winter exorcism ritual, rites are performed to bless the living spaces. Dried herbs, flowers, and tree saps are burned to drive out spirits from the other realm. The inhabitants pray and repeat the saying “Unglück hinaus, Glück ins Haus”, which directly translates to “bad luck out, luck into the house”.