The first two Thursday nights in Advent are ‘Klöckel’ nights (deriving from the dialect word for ‘knock’ ): hooded young men clatter noisily from house to house and sing traditional songs.
When the Sarntal locals hear eerie sounds, bells and howling resound through the quiet winter night, they all know it's Klöckelnacht again! The "Klöckler" go from house to house singing songs to ancient tunes. In the past, people used to "Klöckl" in Gröden, the Pustertal valley and Pfunders; today this custom is still alive in Sarntal valley. This rustic Advent custom originates from a Germanic fertility rite: before the approaching winter solstice, the way has to be cleared for Donar, the god of fertility. According to the custom, the event only takes place on the first three Thursdays of Advent, but not on the long evening of St Thomas’ Day
