Every two years about 30 carriages, along with a crazy crew, paint the village of Termeno red
Image gallery: Egetmann Parade in Termeno
In every odd year, the wine village of Termeno (Tramin) on the Wine Road turns into a hubbub of excitement: One of the loudest, brightest and oldest Carnival customs of Tyrol transforms the alleys on Shrove Tuesday into a theatre stage. Just as in many Tyrolean traditions, only men are allowed at the “Egetmann Parade” (Egetmann-Umzug, in German) whose history dates back to 1531 AD. They represent the single characters and fine-tune all year long, but especially from Epiphany (January 6) on, the colourful costumes and the beautiful carriages.
But why is it called Egetmann? The main character is the Egetmann-Hansl, the groom which, in form of a straw doll with top hat and white gloves, heads the parade next to his (male) bride. On a carriage, the two protagonists can be well-observed by the audience. Moreover, there are various professions presented on the parade floats such as the washerwomen, the threshers and the barrel-makers. Characters including the “Burgl” and the “Burgltreiber” as well as the White Bear and the Green Bear which represent winter and spring respectively are up to mischief on the ground.
Also the “Wuddelen”, the fluffy “Schnappviecher”, are taking part: They are original self-made animals with a head looking like a crocodile and a big mouth full of teeth which can be opened and makes much noise. And the visitors of this unique event shouldn’t be squeamish either - soot, dust and sawdust patter down on them. Access only with ticket. By the way: If you want to learn more about the “Egetmann Parade”, you should visit the Local Museum “Hoamet Tramin Museum”!
