|
One of the important festive seasons that sways over Austria is the Balls Season. The city of Vienna remains the only city of the world where the social calendar is reigned by balls. The Balls Season starts with Christmas Eve and continues till June. The Balls Season peaks in the month of February. The Imperial Ball that occurs on December 31, marks the formal beginning of the Grand Ball Season at the Hofburg Palace (Imperial Palace). It is famous for its glamour, glitter, and tradition. In fact, the balls tradition is fascinating as it overflows with romance and fun. It is also very graceful and robust in character. During the peak of ball season, balls are held every weekend at various places.
The month of February marks the peak of Balls Season. At a ball in Vienna, you would get a chance to feel the magic spell of Viennese waltz. The Balls Season provides about 300 public balls for all sections of the society, with varying purchasing power. The “national” ball is famous by the name of Wiener Opernbal (Vienna Opera Ball). This ball is for the Austrian wealthy and notable people to make a show of their riches. The President, Chancellor and most of the Government Officials are found to waltz at the ball which naturally demands sufficient attention from the media all around the world. One important feature of the balls is the dance organized by the big dancing schools for the young ladies aged between 16 and 18 years. These young ladies are formally acquainted with the society by making their “debut”. This brings an end to their training on dance and etiquette.
Also the peak of Ball Season co-occurs with Fasching (“carnival”) that is the period of festivities and partying ahead of the Easter Lent. The two most important days related to the Balls Season are: Faschingssamstag (the Saturday before Ash Wednesday) and Faschingsdienstag (Mardi Gras). This is the time when children wear new dresses, and teenagers and adults go for fancy dress parties. Among the small communities, parades and processions are held. This is held on a wider scale in Villach and surrounding areas of Carinthia.
Theater an der Wien has been the centre for theatre since 1962. Apart from this the Vienna festival utilizes most of the important venues throughout the capital city. Every year the festival begins with an anthem composed by Werner Pirchner. Luc Bondy has been the artistic director of the festival since 1988.
Thus, on , you can get to know a lot about the festivals of Austria.
|
