Ceremonial Cattle Drives in Tirol: From Mountain High to Valley Low

The beautiful headdresses worn by the cows as they are brought down into the valley are a sign of gratitude for a summer in the mountains free of incident and accident. This can be traced back to a belief that flowers, ribbons and cows can drive away evil spirits. That is why on their final journey of the summer, from the high pastures down into the valley, cows are decorated to ensure they make it down safe and sound.

Ceremonial cattle drives are a tradition stretching back hundreds of years. Having been taken up into the mountains in spring and spent the summer grazing on the high pastures, autumn marks the time when the cows, horses and sheep are brough back down into the valley ready for winter. A summer free of accident and incident was of major importance to both the farmers and the population in general, especially during the many centuries when farming and animal husbandry was the main source of income in almost all villages in Tirol. Therefore, celebrations were organised to mark the return of the animals and farmers to the village.