Christmas shooting

The roots of Christmas shooting in Berchtesgaden lie in pagan noise rituals. Centuries ago, in the still rugged, inhospitable region of the Berchtesgadener Land, people sought to drive away the gloomy, cold season at this early stage by rattling chains and ringing bells, hoping to reawaken nature. Since the early 19th century, the tradition has evolved into firing short-barreled, large-caliber hand saluting guns. Today, the muffled shots of the Weihnachtsschützen, or Christmas shooters, roll through the entire valley. And when the sound echoes between towering, snow-covered peaks, you feel it: something almost impossible to describe. Ancient. Mystical. Deeply Berchtesgaden.

Attempts to ban ceremonial shooting date back to the late Middle Ages, mainly to prevent poaching. But the bans failed, and over time the tradition was given a Christian meaning.

A week before Christmas Eve, beginning on December 17, the Christkindl, or Christ Child, is welcomed with the ringing of church bells and the thunder of saluting guns.

On December 17, at exactly 3 PM, the Christkindl is greeted for the first time with booming shots echoing through the valley. The ritual continues every day at the same hour through December 24. On Christmas Eve, the final Christmas shooting takes place from 11:30 PM until midnight, before Christmas Mass begins. Then, right at midnight, silence returns — broken only by six ceremonial shots during the consecration.

On New Year’s Eve, the Christmas shooters bid farewell to the old year from 11:45 PM to 11:59 PM and welcome the new year from midnight until 12:15 AM. In the villages of Rupertiwinkel, ceremonial shooters also send off the old year beginning at 3 PM, greet the new one from midnight until 12:15 AM, and continue the tradition at various times on New Year’s Day.

Around 3,000 Weihnachtsschützen—about 1,100 of them active members—are organized in 17 clubs. Since 1925, these clubs have been united under the “Vereinigte Weihnachtsschützen des Berchtesgadener Landes,” with the shared goal of preserving this long-standing tradition.

In March 2018, this umbrella organization was officially added to Bavaria’s list of intangible cultural heritage.