Sacred Heart Fire in Tyrol

The origins of this custom go back far into pre-Christian times, when cultic ceremonies were aligned with the course of the sun. The sun was crucial for growth and prosperity in nature and human life, especially under the extreme living conditions in the Alpine region; particularly important in the rhythm of life were the days of solstice, which were celebrated, among other things, by lighting large fires. Later, Christianity 'adapted' these pagan customs, transforming the feast of the winter solstice into Christmas, for example. The summer solstice fires, on the other hand, became 'St. John's fires' because they fell on the feast of St. John the Baptist according to the Julian calendar.

In 1796, Napoleon defeated the armies of the Habsburgs in northern Italy and then advanced as far as Leoben in Styria. Tyrol, thanks to a privilege granted by Emperor Maximilian I, did not have to provide troops for the Habsburg army nor offer financial support, but had to take care of defending its own borders. The Tyrolean Estates were quite unprepared for the threat posed by Napoleon, and so they vowed at a meeting in Bolzano to entrust the land to the 'Most Sacred Heart of Jesus' to receive divine assistance and to raise the population's willingness to defend. This vow was to be renewed every year on the Feast of the Sacred Heart (the second Friday after Corpus Christi).

Andreas Hofer also repeated this vow in 1809 before the Battle of Bergisel, and after the surprising victory over the French and Bavarians, the Sunday of the Sacred Heart became a Tyrolean holiday. The Sacred Heart fires increasingly replaced the traditional solstice and St. John's fires. They are often burned in the form of symbols associated with Christ like 'IHS', 'INRI', cross, or heart. They are lit on Saturday or Sunday, as the Feast of the Sacred Heart in Tyrol is celebrated on the Sunday after the actual feast day.

The Sacred Heart fires gained additional symbolic power in South Tyrol during the autonomy movement. During fascism, they were strictly forbidden, and in 1961, activists of the BAS blew up 37 power pylons in South Tyrol on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, in what became known as the Night of Fire.

Today, in a united Europe, little of this explosive force can be felt. The Sacred Heart fires are mainly a beautiful and lively tradition, and no effort or expense is spared to ignite bright fires even on the highest peaks. The flames burn atmospherically and illuminate the night sky.