Bonfire in Garsella

On Funkensonntag, the Chrochner (schoolchildren) and the Fachilischwinger (boys who erect the bonfire) go from house to house, reciting their little rhyme and wishing you good luck. In the evening, with the lighting of the bonfire, winter is symbolically driven out. You can easily remember the date: Funkensonntag always falls on the first Sunday in Lent. The bonfire – simply called Funk – is an old fire tradition that is still widespread in the Swabian-Alemannic region today. A wooden tower is erected around the bonfire tree, which is eventually set ablaze. Since 2010, the Vorarlberg bonfire tradition has been part of UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage in Austria.