Boat-placing
Social practices in Styria, inscribed 2024
The practice of boat-placing (‘Schifferlsetzen’) has its roots in the region Mariazeller Land and takes place around St Nicholas' Day. In the days leading up to the celebration, children make small paper boats with their families or in an educational setting, which they decorate with bright colours. On ‘Krampus Day’, the day before St Nicholas’ Day, these boats are secretly ‘placed’ at relatives' and friends' homes and are then filled with sweets, nuts, and other small treats ready to be collected on St Nicholas’ Day. This practice still has an identity-forming and community-building significance today.
![[Translate to English:] Schifferlsetzen I](/fileadmin/_processed_/d/8/csm_Schifferlsetzen_I_c_Heimathaus_Mariazell_1a8d9bd1b2.jpg)
![[Translate to English:] Schifferlsetzen II](/fileadmin/_processed_/c/c/csm_Schifferlsetzen_II_c_Heimathaus_Mariazell_3edea2221d.jpg)
![[Translate to English:] Schifferlsetzen III](/fileadmin/_processed_/b/5/csm_Schifferlsetzen_III_c_Heimathaus_Mariazell_7b4ec903dd.jpg)
![[Translate to English:] Schifferlsetzen IV](/fileadmin/_processed_/2/2/csm_Schifferlsetzen_IV_c_Heimathaus_Mariazell_9b4ceda349.jpg)
![[Translate to English:] Schifferlsetzen V](/fileadmin/_processed_/b/e/csm_Schifferlsetzen_V_c_Heimathaus_Mariazell_b853983e6b.jpg)
View Gallery
Originally, boat-placing emerged from necessity: in the past, the so-called ‘St Nicholas floods’ often caused great destruction and poverty in the area. To demonstrate solidarity during these tough times, people from the neighbourhood secretly placed a boat in front of the door of those less affected and asked for help. Besides the typical gifts from St Nicholas, the people who asked for help received clothing and other essential supplies. This is how boat-placing developed in Mariazell as a cadging custom. Even if this practice's original intention has now faded into the background, the way it is practised has remained unchanged for decades. The special folding techniques and sayings that are attached to the boats are passed on to the younger generation in the form of traditional knowledge.
Families, teaching staff at educational and childcare institutions, and Mariazell's heritage centre (‘Mariazeller Heimathaus’) all play a key role in the safeguarding of this practice. By doing handicrafts together with the children and sharing knowledge about its historical background, the practice is kept alive and encourages them to participate. The children are at the heart of it all: they start by making their boats and then decide where they want to leave them—usually at relatives' or friends' houses. The recipients lovingly fill the boats and prepare them for collection. On St Nicholas' Day, the children joyfully reveal themselves to the recipients of the boats. Boat-placing fosters a sense of belonging, regional identity, and intergenerational exchange. However, this old practice is not only limited to the local community: it is also introduced and passed on to new people through boat-making crafts at nurseries and primary schools and during the annual Advent events at Mariazell's heritage centre.
Contact
Mariazeller Heimathaus
Wiener Straße 35
8630 Mariazell
mariazeller.heimathaus@aon.at
https://www.mariazeller-heimathaus.at
Wiener Straße 35
8630 Mariazell
mariazeller.heimathaus@aon.at
https://www.mariazeller-heimathaus.at
Downloads
- Application form (German only) 1 MB (pdf)
- Expertise Heizmann (German only) 150 KB (pdf)
- Expertise Orac-Stipperger (German only) 1 MB (pdf)
ID: 1855
