9
Saint of the day: Boris, Peter
Word of the day:

Wherever nature outgoes its limits, science is no help.
Schiller, Wallenstein

 

A devilish Christmas legend

Once upon a time in Styria lived a farmer who had an old book of magic. One day, as he went to midnight mass, he forgot to hide it. He rushed back home fearing his children would find it and use it. But it was too late.  The book was wide open and the room filled with devils. To get rid of them, he had to read backwards as many pages as the children had turned.  Meanwhile, the devils had to be kept busy with a job requiring more time than he needed to complete his reading.  Should they be done first, they would possess him;  if not, he would be free. The farmer gave the following jobs to the devils: he poured a bag of flour in the river and told them to pick it up. They also had to build a new road through the mountains to the village of Jassinggau. The devils only did half the job for the farmer was done with reading, and they lost their power over him.  The road remained unfinished and has been known as "Devils' Road" since.

(Source: Admont und das Gesäuse in Geschichte und Sage)

Winter is the time of long nights, weird sounds, and fear. Many cultures tell stories about ghosts, witches, devils.  Halloween in America, Perchten in Austria, Black Peter... Some of them have been integrated in the Christian religion. 

Tresterer (from Stuhlfelden in Pinzgau in the Salzburg province)

In Austria, there are three "rough nights" (Rauhnächte): Holy Night, New Year's night and Epiphany. Farmers prepare a sweet porridge diner. Everyone eats from the same plate and leaves his spoon therein. The Perchtl (the pagan goddess of death) then comes by and eats one bite with every spoon. Those who find their spoon upside down or out of the plate will die within the year.

 

 

Birthdays: Kirk Douglas, Ödön von Horvath
ten of our friends - three of our ancestors