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Intangible cultural heritage

Traditions, knoweldge, craftsmanship techniques  
Photo: © UNESCO/James Muriuki

Metnitz Kinisingen
Performing arts in Carinthia, inscribed 2013

At the Metnitz “Kini Carolling” ("Kinisingen"), between New Year’s and 6 January (Epiphany) a group of singers (called "Rotte"), together with the Three Kings and the Star-Bearer, process from farm to farm through Carinthia’s entire Metnitz Valley and sing the 17 verses of the “Kini Song”. The Kings and the Star-Bearer perform a small drama in which they move wordlessly according to precisely defined rules. Best wishes for the New Year are also recited. Following the performance, the singers are given refreshments, after which they sing a final song and then continue to the next farm.

The words still sung today at the Metnitz “Kini Carolling” were mentioned in documents for the first time in 1724. Until 1937 they were performed each year in the valleys of the municipality of Metnitz, with each of the nine male singers coming from one of the nine side valleys. “Kini Carolling” fell dormant during the period of Nazi rule, and after 1945 it was carried on by the local sexton and his family. After the final performance of that era, in 1953, the book with the song’s lyrics was thought to have been lost. It was found only in 1990 in an attic. Through the recollections of former “Kini carollers” and local women, the tradition could be revived and passed on. The old linen-covered wooden crowns, which become illuminated when candles inside are lighted, and the star were discovered in a granary. Since that time, the Rotte progresses not only from farm to farm but also to the houses in the communities of Metnitz, Grades, Oberhof, Feistritz, and Lassnitz to sing the 17-verse song.

In contrast to other kinds of traditional Epiphany singing, in the Metnitz Valley it is not the Kings who relate the story of their journey but rather the accompanying singers. The Kings, dressed in simple white robes, act out the traditional story without words. The sequence of a visit is always the same: greeting, bow, deliberation, search for the star, figure-eight dance, and offering. In recent years it has become customary for the visited families to invite neighbours, relatives, and friends to welcome the Rotte together.

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