A long weekend is always a good thing! You can spend longer relaxing, plan a long walk and stay up longer chatting with friends in the evening – you don't have to get up early the next day, after all! Whitsun is great! A fantastic public holiday. But...why is it a holiday?

Whitsun – there's something in it!

In South Tyrol, the land where customs and tradition are upheld and celebrated, especially in the valleys, everyone knows why Whitsun is celebrated and, more importantly, how! Sunday Best is brought out of the cupboard, hand-embroidered silk scarves only reserved for festive occasions are wrapped around necks and trumpets and clarinets are dusted off. In the village church, the village gets together to commemorate the hour of the birth of the Christian church.

This is the day when the Holy Ghost came to Maria and Jesus' disciples in the form of fiery tongues and enabled them to pass on Jesus' teachings in different languages to all people. Encouraged by this miracle, they all went out into the world to spread the word.

As befits tradition

After Mass, musicians play their finest and most cheerful tunes. In lots of places people gather together, celebrating, laughing and enjoying the day in each other's company.

… and nature gets in the way

Anyone stealing away from these scenes is probably not able to resist the call of the mountains. The warm weather of early summer is all too conducive to hiking. A bird's eye view of the blossoming valleys at the moment is truly spectacular! Every tree shows off its fresh coat of leaves and the grass is at its greenest. It would be a pity to miss out on this natural performance! Especially on a long weekend!