Ostermarkt. Innsbruck Easter Market
Austria’s culture, customs and cuisine are colourful all year round, but Easter is when the country really shows off all its bright shades. The most important holiday of the year besides Christmas, it is celebrated in style for several days with parades, markets, plays and traditional delicacies.
During Holy Week, many churches in Tirol cover their crosses with a purple cloth, turning their whole altars into graves, using a painted backdrop which shows the events surrounding Jesus Christ's death, a tradition which can be traced back to the Middle Ages.
Coloured eggs will be your companions during Easter time. A symbol of life, fertility and rebirth, they are boiled, painted and hidden for children, with those not meant for eating are used as decoration things. Other traditions you have the chance to experience include Easter markets and the classic “Osterjause” (Easter snack) with ham, eggs and horseradish.
Innsbruck’s historic downtown district provides a stunning backdrop for a showcase of Easter customs and traditions.
The annual Easter Market in front of the Golden Roof is full of lovely Easter treats, crafts, music and a jolly good time to be had by all. Some 31 exhibitors will be selling their elaborate handmade wares underneath the Golden Roof. There are stalls selling Easter eggs in all variations, huge varieties of hand-blown decorated eggs and lovely Easter decorations, alongside with assorted wooden toys and selected local arts and crafts. High end gifts and crafts will sit side by side with tasty treats & festive fayre, offering visitors the chance to sample and purchase quality farm produce. To keep the visitors crowds amused an array of entertainers, including local folklore groups and brass bands perfom in the streets of Innsbruck during Easter.
