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Easter Markets & Traditions in Austria

If you’d like to take a little Easter joy home with you, be sure to visit the many Easter markets, where you’ll find arts and crafts as well as seasonal specialities.

Many say Easter is the best time of year – it’s certainly the most colourful. Across Austria, traditions are marked by bright Easter eggs, spring flowers, and carefully tied Palmbuschen, which are blessed in churches on Palm Sunday. Decorating and crafting together create joyful moments that bring generations together.

On Easter Sunday, the Easter Bunny is quite busy hiding colourful eggs, chocolate, and small gifts in homes and gardens, sending children off on excited easter egg hunts. Adults also enjoy seasonal treats, from tender Easter lamb to sweet Reindling cake.

Traditional Crafts and Easter Markets

In the run-up to Easter, Austria’s market squares fill with life. Painted eggs, decorated pussy willow bouquets, and hand-carved figurines showcase local craftsmanship.

Easter in Austria is a chance to experience tradition and the arrival of spring in a festive way, with regional crafts, seasonal food, and time-honoured customs.

Please note:

Our list provides an overview of Easter markets by province but does not claim to be complete. As dates may change at short notice, please also check the website of the respective region or contact the local tourist office directly.

Easter markets in Austria's provinces

Burgenland

Carinthia

Lower Austria

Upper Austria

SalzburgerLand

Styria

Tirol

Vorarlberg

Vienna

Easter traditions across the country

In many regions, Easter is shaped by long-established rituals. Palm donkey processions, Easter fires, flying bells and dyed eggs bring these traditions to life, combining living heritage, a sense of community and the arrival of spring.

Palmesel

Those visiting SalzburgerLand at Easter will encounter many traditional customs, such as the Palmesel processions in Puch near Salzburg. To reenact Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, wooden donkeys (Palmesel) with a Christ figure on their backs are carried through the town. The Palmesel in Puch dates back to the 17th century. Every year on Palm Sunday, four young men from the local traditional costume association carry the donkey, which weighs over 100 kilograms and is decorated with a bridle made of cowrie shells, along with the Christ figure holding a palm branch.

Easter bonfires

Easter fires are another long-standing tradition. They still light up the night skies in parts of Salzburg, Styria, and Carinthia.

Over several weeks, men construct towering wooden structures, often reaching up to ten metres in height. These are then set alight on the night before Easter Sunday.

Like many other Easter customs, this practice has pagan roots, but today, the Easter fire is seen as a symbol of joy and the resurrection of Christ.

Flying bells

During Holy Week, the church bells fall silent. According to legend, they "fly" to Rome on Maundy Thursday and do not ring again until Easter Sunday.

In their absence, the Ratscherbuam take over. These children carry Ratschen—wooden instruments that produce a loud, clattering sound when spun.

Walking through the village with drum Ratschen, they recite verses and sing songs, accompanied by the rhythmic rattling of their instruments.

Easter egg dyeing

Dyeing Easter eggs is a long-standing tradition across Austria, dating back to the 12th or 13th century. In the Lungau region, however, locals have a special way of decorating eggs: the so-called Grawirlacheier. These beautifully patterned eggs are created by placing a boiled egg on a linen cloth layered with Grawirlach (chervil), Kasbleamen (crocus), and onion skins. The cloth is then wrapped around the egg, tied at both ends, and dipped into dye for a few minutes. This technique results in delicate, one-of-a-kind patterns on the eggs.

Easter in Austria's provinces

Easter in Austria is rich in symbolic gestures. From intricately decorated eggs and liturgical celebrations to lovingly created Easter tombs, these customs show how traditions continue to be passed on to this day.

How to celebrate Easter with your kids

What do Austrians eat at Easter?

Easter brings moments of special enjoyment. Traditional Easter specialities combine sweet and savoury flavours with family rituals – baked, matured and prepared with care.

Easter events

Easter festivals and Easter performances bring together music, culture and distinctive settings. Around Easter, programmes take up tradition and reinterpret it in a contemporary way.

Climate Protection Info

Why are traditions and customs sustainable?

The preservation of traditions and customs in Austria is closely linked to sustainability. Events such as Almabtrieb (cattle drives), folk festivals, and regional crafts reflect a deep respect for nature and resources. These traditions promote awareness and appreciation of local flora and fauna while fostering environmental consciousness.

Customs also contribute to social sustainability. Traditional celebrations like maypole raising, Easter festivities, and Christmas traditions strengthen community bonds and encourage collective efforts to preserve regional heritage. Intangible cultural heritage plays a key role in passing down rituals, customs, and craftsmanship from generation to generation.

Sustainable travel

FAQs

Some holidays are easy to remember: Christmas is always on 24 December, and New Year’s Day always on 1 January. But Easter is different—it can fall in March one year and in April the next. And since Easter sets the date for other holidays like Ascension Day and Pentecost, they also shift accordingly. But why?

The reason goes back around 1,700 years. At the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, bishops and church leaders decided that Easter should always be celebrated on the Sunday after the first full moon of spring. Sunday was chosen because all four Gospels in the New Testament describe the resurrection as happening on the "first day of the week"—a Sunday.

The tradition of giving Easter eggs has both historical and symbolic roots.

Originally, eggs were forbidden during Lent, so they were boiled to preserve them. They were often dyed red to distinguish them from raw eggs.

In the Middle Ages, eggs were also used as payments to landlords or as a form of rent.

Symbolically, eggs represent resurrection, new life, and fertility—origins that date back to the 13th century.

Easter customs vary by region in Austria, but some are widespread.

  • Egg tapping (Eierpecken) is a popular game where two people tap their eggs against each other—the one that stays intact wins.

  • On Palm Sunday, decorated Palmbuschen (small bouquets) are blessed in churches. Some places also re-enact Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem by carrying wooden Palmesel (wooden donkeys with a Christ figure) through the town.

  • From Maundy Thursday to Holy Saturday, church bells fall silent—they are said to have “flown” to Rome. During this time, children called Ratscherbuben and Ratscherinnen replace the bells with wooden rattles.

  • Easter fires are lit on Easter Eve in many regions, symbolising light and new life.

  • On Easter Sunday, children hunt for colourful eggs and small gifts hidden by the Easter Bunny.

  • Culinary traditions play a big role, with dishes like Easter ham, Osterpinze, and Carinthian Reindling.

Easter markets in Austria traditionally take place in March and April, depending on the date of the first full moon of spring.

Easter in Austria is also celebrated with seasonal specialities, including Easter ham, Mostviertel Godnküpfi, Osterpinze, Carinthian Reindling, and decorated gingerbread hearts.

Easter markets are especially appealing where the season is celebrated in a distinctive setting. In Vienna, markets at the Hof, on Freyung square or in front of Schönbrunn Palace create a memorable atmosphere. Historic venues such as Schloss Hof, Burg Forchtenstein or Schloss Rosenburg provide an impressive backdrop for Easter markets. In towns and cities including Klagenfurt, Villach, Hall in Tirol, Kufstein and Dornbirn, the diversity of regional Easter markets comes to the fore.

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