The Holy Nights and incense burning
The Rauhnächte are the time between Christmas Eve and January 6th, in some places they already begin with the night of St. Thomas from December 20th to 21st. In the Alpine tradition, they connect the end of the year with the new one. It is supposed to be a time of letting go, recognizing and cleansing. A widespread ritual is the burning of incense in the house or apartment and stable on these nights.
Word origin
During our research, we noticed that "Rau" was spelled differently. Sometimes without an "H", sometimes with a "CH". The origin of the word Raunacht, Rauhnacht or Rauchnacht is disputed. There are two possible derivations on Wikipedia, one from the Middle German "ruch" for furry, hairy and the other derived from the custom of burning incense by priests.
The fact that this is a special time can be explained by the difference of 11 days or twelve nights between the lunar year with only 354 days and the solar year with 365. The missing days were inserted by the Celts as "dead" days outside of time, thus compensating for the time difference.
Customs
In folklore, it is said that the laws of nature are suspended and the boundaries to other worlds fall away. I can still remember my grandmother telling me in deadly earnest on a cold, starry Christmas night that the animals could speak like humans on this one night. We just had to listen. And she was a very rational person. My mother, on the other hand, would NEVER leave laundry hanging over Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve, because it would bring bad luck. There are many myths and ancient rituals surrounding this special time of year.
Ritual
Smoking takes place at least on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. In other areas, three, four or even twelve times. The idea is to send away bad influences, say thank you to the old year and welcome in the new one. So that it will be a good year: "Bad luck out, good luck in".
Here in eastern Carinthia, people and animals, house and farm were smoked with incense and a spruce branch placed on top in a smoking pan. There are different incense mixtures depending on taste and occasion. These can be bought ready-made at Christmas markets, for example. If not, here is a small selection of smoked products:
Cleansing: sage, rosemary, mint, thyme, mugwort, lovage, frankincense
Protective: mistletoe, pine resin, cornflower, juniper
Balancing: lavender, rose petals, verbena, styrax, lemon balm
During the smoking nights, the incense should smoke properly. This requires an appropriately sized smoking pan with sand and glowing coals, on which the smoking mixture is placed. This is taken from room to room and in some places even three times around the house. According to custom, all residents should be present to prevent bad luck.
From our pro.earth.perspective, this special time offers the opportunity to question what we can improve and change in our lives in the coming year to create a world fit for grandchildren. What can I let go of? Where can I direct my attention?
