In some localities of East Tyrol, there is a very old tradition called “Krapfenschnappen” around All Saints’s Day
One of the most interesting traditions of All Saints' Day is the so called "Krapfenschnappen". This custom includes young boys and men walking from door to door, wearing white shirts and a skin as well as a hat. In their hands they have got the so called "Schnapper", a wooden stick with a head of an animal at the top. At its mandible a rope is attached and when the boys give it a tug, the mandible moves and makes fuss, rattling and clattering. For doing this, the "Krapfenschnapper" are rewarded with delicious krapfen and pastries, which are considered to be a cultand blessing pastry, often also layed down on the graves.
In appreciation of the gifts, the boys perform a poem or a song. However, this custom is not performed in the same manner in all the villages where it is still in use. In Patriasdorf at Lienz for example, the boys must not reveal their identity and therefore have to adjust their voices or should not speak at all. In Kals, they thank by saying "Vergelt's Gott für die Armen Seelen".
This tradition is lived out in Leisach too: Only boys aged 6 to 15 are allowed to participate for a total amount of 30 people that are then divided into three groups. In the afternoon of October 31st, the day before All Saints' Day, they go around the villages with various animal heads, such as dogs, wolves, bears and monkeys and since 1947 also with engraved human masks (in the image you can see an old photo of 1989). Usually, the group never enters people's houses but rather lines up in front of the door and thanks the house owners with a short poem and a "Vergelt's Gott!" (which means thank you in the local dialect), for the gifts they received.
