Old custom

Where unmarried Bloch parade through the village

To ensure that the Blochziehen does not fall into oblivion, it has been practiced by the Kulturinitiative Bleiburg (KIB) every Shrove Tuesday since 1984.(Bild: KIB Archiv)

The tradition of the Blochziehen has been practiced in Bleiburg since the 1980s. The woodcutters set off on Shrove Tuesday. The roots go back 600 years. 

Blochziagn is an old custom, Blochziagn tua ma heia auch; many girls are already here, get a Bloch from me...", goes the "Blochziagalied". Every year, the Bleiburg customs suppliers of the Kulturinitiative Bleiburg (KIB) are accompanied by a horse and Bloch wagon.

Tradition must not be forgotten
KIB chairman Professor Arthur Ottowitz: "We didn't want the custom, which originated in the 15th century and was practised in Austria and some neighboring countries, to be forgotten." That's why the people of Bleiburg have been slipping into lumberjack garb every Shrove Tuesday since 1984 and marching to the main square on horse-drawn carts. Paul Stöckl: "Accordion players, guitarists and devil's violinists accompany the singers."

Bleiburger Blochziehen: An old custom from 1964 to the present day.(Bild: KIB Archiv)

A Bloch for unmarried people.(Bild: Karlheinz Fessl)

"Still" - or "single again"?
As soon as the tree trunks are loaded up on the morning of Shrove Tuesday, it's off with saw and zapin (fidget spinner). "Each unmarried woman is given a sawn-off piece of the log. The ladies have to pull the piece of wood off the zappel as skillfully as possible," says Philipp Hainz. The piece of wood is marked with "Noch" or "Schon wieder unmarried". Hainz: "Then there is the request to change this by the next carnival." Then they dance and move on to the next unmarried woman.

As it is no longer a disgrace to be unmarried, the Bloch is seen as a lucky charm in Bleiburg. In the old custom, boys and girls had to pull the Bloch through the village if there was no wedding the previous year.