German Advent Calendar: Fact of the Day

7. Dezember – Festive Shooting

Berchtesgadener Böller (Small Cannons)

A Böllerschießen ceremony for New Year’s Eve in the village of Nußdorf on the shores of Lake Constance, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons

The “silent night” of the Bavarian Alps is suddenly pierced by the sound of gunfire! Gunshots echo throughout the Berchtesgaden region of Bavaria at midnight on Christmas Eve. The 1200 members of the festive shooting club known as the Berchtesgadener Böller spread out in the Berchtesgaden valley in their traditional costumes to welcome the Christ Child at the stroke of midnight. Using old-fashioned pistols and small cannons called Böller, they fire off a total of about 7,000 rounds. A week later they repeat their noisy custom for New Year’s Eve. First mentioned in 1666, the Berchtesgaden shooting tradition goes back to the invention of gunpowder (Schießpulver) and pagan times when loud noises were thought to drive away evil spirits. When done for Christmas, the custom is also known as Christkindlanschießen (see photo above).

Christkindlanschießen in München-Moosach PHOTO: Der Tieger, fotocommunity.de

The custom of Böllerschießen (also known as Prangerschießen) is not just reserved for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. It also takes place during Oktoberfest, and for weddings and other festive occasions. There are many Böller or Pranger associations in communities all across Bavaria whose members enjoy carrying out this booming business. A similar tradition also exists in Salzburg, Austria and in other Alpine and southern Germany regions. The Böller devices are divided into three main categories: 1. Handböller (handheld cannon), 2. Standböller (cannon on a support), and 3. Böllerkanone (free-standing small cannon).

The video below is a brief clip of this custom as it is observed for Christmas Eve in Salzburg, Austria.

VIDEO: Christkindlanschießen, Salzburg (2018)

WEB > Stille Nacht, Böller kracht (Deutsche Welle, in German)

A 15mm Handböller (“Königssee” model) with three corks and firing caps. Behind the gun are a wooden loading hammer and a loading ram/stick. PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons

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