The St. George’s hunt / Šentjurja jagat
Social practices in Carinthia, inscribed 2025
The St. George’s hunt (‘Georgijagen’/‘Šentjurja jagat’) is an old shepherding and gift-seeking practice, which is observed in the area surrounding the market town of Finkenstein on Lake Faaker See/Bekštanj, in the region south and east of Villach, as well as in several villages along the Ossiacher Tauern mountain range. On 22nd April, the eve of St. George’s Day, the beginning of the grazing season is celebrated with protective spells and blessings, symbolising spring’s triumph over winter.
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This St. George’s practice is called ‘Georgijåg’n’ in the multilingual Upper Rosental Valley, ‘Šentjurja jahat’ in Slovenian, ‘Šentjurja jagat’ in the western villages, ‘Georgijåg’n’ in the western Ossiacher Tauern range, and ‘Girgljåg’n’ in the eastern range.
The traditional rural shepherding custom known as the St. George’s hunt is now typically carried out by children aged between six and fourteen in the villages of the Upper Rosental Valley. On 22nd April, the eve of St. George’s Day, the children gather at sunset beside a pile of wood they have prepared over the preceding days. The St. George’s fire is lit, the children kneel for a communal prayer, and they then set off in a vibrant procession through the village. They stop at each house, ringing the cowbells they have brought along and blowing cattle and goat horns. The group’s leader, known as the ‘capo’, uses an animal horn to trace a symbolic cross on each front door and recites a blessing in German or Slovenian, wishing the household good fortune and health and blessing their livestock and pets. The occupants of the houses hand out eggs, money, and other gifts, which the children either eat together or share out equally once their visits are complete.
In the eastern Ossiacher Tauern range, in the villages around St. Nikolai in the Feldkirchen district, the ‘Girgljåg’n’ is performed by unmarried men, who are often joined by younger participants during the early evening hours. They recite the St. George’s Day verse or blessing of good fortune in chorus. While marching from house to house, they sing songs, ‘blow the cross’ at wayside shrines and crosses, and pray the rosary. Unlike in the Upper Rosental Valley, there are no St. George’s fires in this region. The ‘Brauchtumsgruppe Ossiacher Tauern’ (heritage group) works to safeguard the customs and traditions surrounding the ‘Girgljåg’n’ and thus ensures that they are passed down through generations in the region.
The earliest recorded description of this St. George’s Day custom in Carinthia dates back to 1841. Although St. George’s Day celebrations have vanished in some villages, thanks to local dedication they continue in others, where they remain an integral part of cultural life. When passing on the tradition and throughout the entire process, children in the Upper Rosental Valley are supported by their local communities—including schools, heritage groups, village associations, and cultural organisations—which teach them both old and new proverbs in German and Slovenian. Upon the initiative of the Latschach village community, this Carinthian social practice and all its local variations were documented to raise awareness and encourage young people to safeguard it.
Contact
Dorfgemeinschaft Latschach Günther Sticker, Obmann
Kronigweg 7
9582 Unteraichwald
guenther.sticker@kabeg.at
www.dglatschach.at
Kronigweg 7
9582 Unteraichwald
guenther.sticker@kabeg.at
www.dglatschach.at
Downloads
- Application from (German only) 1 MB (pdf)
- Expertise Piko-Rustia & Maurer-Lausegger (German only) 483 KB (pdf)
- Expertise Kogler (German only) 209 KB (pdf)
- Map of places of the practrice German 2 MB (pdf)
- Map of places of the practrice Slovenian 2 MB (pdf)
ID: 2061
