You’ve probably heard the phrase “between the years” a lot. This name goes back to the twelve-night difference between the division of the year according to the lunar and solar calendars. It was precisely at this time that the so-called rough nights occurred. The associated days are called lost days. In some areas they start on December 21st, but in most areas they start on December 24th or 25th. The term “Internächte” (in the Erzgebirge dialect “Innernacht'”) or Unternächte is also known in the Erzgebirge. Each night represents the respective month of the new year and, among other things, allows a look at the weather. The so-called onion oracle is also said to be suitable for predicting the weather.
What are rough nights?
It would be wrong to locate the rituals surrounding these special nights only in the Ore Mountains. Customs that go back to the Rauhnächte are also widespread in the north and west of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the former East Prussia, superstitions were also taken very seriously and even in Greece there is a custom of not washing bed linen and table linen and of fumigating the house between Christmas and New Year. This is due to the fact that the old superstitions partly have their origins in antiquity, which is why they can also be found in other European countries. Nevertheless, the tradition is still maintained, especially in the Ore Mountains. But what are these customs and what are they supposed to achieve or protect against?
Where does the word “rough nights” come from?
Linguistically, it is not exactly clear where the “rough” or “rough” in the word Rauhnächte comes from. It could be from smoking, as at the end of the year the house is often cleaned by smoking. But it could also go back to a term from skinning. There they know the word “rough goods” for fur products. There would also be a reference to demons dressed in fur, who are said to wreak havoc on these nights in the “Wild Hunt” and who still play a traditional role today as Perchten in the Alpine region.
The period between Christmas and January 6th is also called “dead days”. From these days it is believed in mythology that the laws of nature would be suspended and the souls of the deceased and spirits would be released. In some areas it is even said that the animals can talk on these nights. The spiritual world should seek connection to the real world during the rough nights. This is also why dreams should come true on these twelve special nights. The customs themselves vary from place to place, but some appear everywhere.
Interview with Anet Hering, author of the book “The Rauhnächte – In the Flow of Times”
How did you become familiar with the Rauhnächten?
My grandfather was a blacksmith. I loved sitting by his blacksmith's fire and listening to his stories about elves, goblins and other natural creatures. During the rough nights, he set his alarm clock at night to check what the weather was like. He wrote down these observations, as well as the encounters or events that day. He brought out this little book again and again throughout the year and always knew for me as a child what the new year would bring.
What ancient rituals do you observe? Which one is particularly important to you?
It is very important to me to clean the apartment and remake the beds before the rough nights begin, because of course no laundry is done between Christmas and January 6th. This is particularly important to me Fumigation of the living spaces. I usually do this on December 28th or 29th with white sage to dissolve bad experiences and illnesses of the old year. I also – like my grandfather – write down my dreams and encounters over the twelve nights and days. I also oracle a bit, for example when pouring lead on New Year's Eve.
In your book you supplement the traditional customs with your own. Why?
I think that smoking out stables, one of the old rituals, is no longer so up-to-date. That's why, for example, I associate each day of the rough nights with a gemstone, also to reach people today. This fits better in our fast-moving times and helps to break through them. I also pull a tarot card every now and then.
Do you think that the customs, some of which seem old-fashioned, still fit into our modern lives?
Maybe no longer exorcise ghosts. But Forgive and let go is just as important today, as is gratitude. You have to translate the old customs into the new language in order to save them for us into the new time.
Wild Hunt and Dance of the Angels
As often happens in customs, Christian rituals and old folk beliefs mix with each other. The latter often offered people in earlier times explanations for the natural phenomena that they had to deal with in their everyday lives. Storms that sound scary at night are sometimes explained as supernatural phenomena – once again in days and nights that are considered magical. For example, if the storm whistles loudly through the forests, meadows or attics, the “wild army” raging around outside does not seem far-fetched. On these special nights, a horde of wild riders are said to parade through the air with a loud noise. According to tradition, anyone who hears the Wild Hunt must expect disaster. According to legend, the wild hunt involves evil spirits and people who have died violent deaths. The leader of the platoon varies territorially. In the Erzgebirge it is often said to be Wotan or Odin or Frau Holle.
Why aren't you allowed to do laundry during rough nights?
For this reason, no laundry may be washed during the overnight stays, especially white table linen and bed linen that may not be hung up. The evil spirits could get caught in the laundry hanging on the line and stay in the New Year. Another interpretation says that the white cloths will be used as shrouds in the New Year, so someone will die. Elsewhere it is only said that the laundry would disturb the dance of the angels in the attic.
Food that brings happiness and prosperity
Most rituals are celebrated on Christmas Eve: under the tablecloth of the festively set table lies the Christmas Eve straw, which is intended to commemorate the birth of the child in a stable. Christmas Eve coins are placed under the plates in the hope that this will bring a rich windfall next year. The Christmas Eve light definitely belongs on the table. For most people, the candlestick it stands on is passed down from generation to generation. The candle is only extinguished when the family goes to bed. The rest of the Christmas Eve light is saved to be brought out in the event of a thunderstorm or illness and to be given to the sick in its ground state. You also have to be careful not to break it, because that means disaster, usually death. In many families, an extra place setting is set up either in memory of deceased family members or for a stranger or poor guest who might come unexpectedly. In many families, the traditional Neunerlei ( Neinerlaa ) is eaten. Each of these nine dishes has a meaning for the New Year.
