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What is the Glöcklerlauf?

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All Around The World

Every year, hundreds of participants take part in the Glöcklerlauf parade in Ebensee on Lake Traunsee on the last night of the Twelve Days of Christmas. They wear brightly lit caps that can be up to two meters high. In addition to the illuminated headgear, the Passen, as the groups of runners are also called, also wear large bells on their backs. This is supposed to scare away evil spirits in the Upper Austrian town.

Individual snowflakes float gently to the ground and darkness slowly descends. Queues form in front of the mulled wine stands. Residents and visitors try to warm up a little before the event begins. Every now and then, you see a local in white clothing walking around with a huge structure. The participants in the Glöcklerlauf are slowly becoming more nervous.

At six o'clock sharp in the evening, a gun salute marks the start of the spectacle. Accompanied by the loud clanging of bells, the procession sets off across the town. Cheered on by spectators and admired by wide-eyed children, around 400 hats light up the darkness. The headdresses are made by hand over many hours by groups and clubs. What makes them special is that they are made entirely of wood and paper.

In the evening, several men wearing large illuminated caps can be seen standing in a parking lot. There is snow on the ground. The caps are round and very colorful. The men are dressed in white.
The white clothing pays homage to the Ebensee salt works.
A red illuminated cap in an unusual shape, almost like a flower. The wearer is dressed in white and standing in the snow. In a parking lot at night.
Each cap takes around 400 hours of work to produce!

Here's how to do it.

The basic frame of the caps, which weigh up to 15 kilograms, is made of wood. The motifs are cut out of black construction paper and then covered with tissue paper. Once the colorful images have been stretched over the wooden frame, all that remains is to illuminate them. This is done using standard candles. 

The stands are firmly anchored to the wooden frame, so the candles cannot fall over. However, they burn out about three times during the run. After all, the Glöckler are out and about from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. (with breaks)! Thanks to a small latch, part of the cap can be opened. This makes it easy to replace the light source. This is done by one of the many helpers who take part in the tradition. 

You can see a wooden frame arranged in a circular shape. It is hollow on the inside and covered with colorful paper on the outside. Inside, you can see several candles standing upright. The frame is in a room, behind it is a table with a white tablecloth. The floor is light brown parquet. At the front of the structure, you can see a star-shaped pattern.
Here you can see the structure of a cap very clearly—including the candles arranged inside.
An elderly gentleman wearing a blue jacket with an open zipper. He is looking at the camera. Underneath his jacket, the bald, elderly gentleman is wearing a black shirt. He is standing in front of a wooden wall with one hand resting on a table and the other hand hanging down.
70-year-old locksmith Herbert Moser has been making caps for several decades.

The tradition of the Glöcklerlauf began around 150 years ago. At that time, poor people started begging with homemade caps like these, "They went from house to house," explains local resident Herbert Moser. He has been participating in the custom for more than 40 years. The number of participants has steadily increased, and this has developed into a tradition that has even been recognized as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO since 2010.

The run takes place in all weather conditions. "Nothing is impossible in Ebensee," says the 70-year-old with a smile. Unfortunately, heavy rain often means the end of the cap. "But if it's just faded or parts of it are damaged by candle wax, it gets repaired and used again the following year." So the caps are not necessarily replaced every year. 

Even four-year-old children are running.

The Glöcklerlauf is very family-friendly. And that doesn't just apply to the spectators! Even the youngest children take part in the tradition. Children as young as four already have their own mini caps and bells. The youngsters naturally help to make the caps. "Nobody sits around on their cell phones here, they're busy making caps," says Moser.

a little girl wearing a pyramid-shaped cap. She is also dressed in white.
Little Sophie is one of the youngest participants. She is about to turn four.
Some participants wearing magnificent caps in the dark in a parking lot.
The run traditionally takes place on the last night of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

The situation was a little difficult when a women's Glöckler group was formed a few years ago. They were criticized because they had received a €10,000 grant (innovation award) from the state. Since 2021, female groups have also been participating, and the controversy has since subsided. After all, what matters is that the tradition is preserved. And in Ebensee, this is done with great dedication.

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References:

Interviews with participants on site at the Glöcklerlauf in Ebensee on January 5, 2026

Interview with Herbert Moser, who has been participating in the run for 40 years (January 5, 2026)

Photos: Ingrid Müller

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