Palm Donkey Procession in Thaur

The procession leads from Thaur to the neighboring community Rum and back. Rum used to belong to the parish of Thaur, but is now an independent parish. The Palm Sunday procession is still held according to old tradition.

At the center of this procession is the Thaur Palm Donkey, a wood-carved donkey on which a nearly life-sized, also wood-carved, over 240-year-old figure of Christ sits. Both are on a four-wheeled cart, pulled by the altar boys. Christ holds a palm branch in his left hand, while the right hand is raised in blessing. The limbs of the figure are movable. It is dressed in a dark red robe and a scarlet cloak.

The procession starts at noon in front of the parish church of Thaur and moves to the Romedikirchl and further to Rum. The children and altar boys carry palm bushes, elaborate palm poles, and small wood-carved donkeys, while the brass band plays procession songs. After a prayer in front of the parish church of Rum, it goes back to Thaur along field paths.

The Palm Sunday procession is one of the oldest rites of Christianity and probably originated before the blessing of the palms. The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem was to be reenacted as festively as possible, and at the latest since the 13th century, it was customary to carry a palm donkey with a statue of Christ sitting on it. Often, the clergy themselves, in the footsteps of Christ, sat on the donkey. The archbishops of Salzburg, for example, made a palm ride to the Nonnberg, but not on an ordinary donkey, but on a noble white horse.

Palm donkey processions were widespread in the late Middle Ages in the entire German-speaking area, as well as in the Netherlands and present-day Belgium. However, the Reformation in the 16th century and 250 years later the Enlightenment ended this tradition in many areas. Today, there are only a few places where a palm donkey procession takes place, Thaur is the only place in Tyrol where this tradition is still alive.

On Good Friday, there is another procession in Thaur, in which a life-sized figure of Christ is carried through the village to the sounds of the funeral marches played by the brass band and the prayer of the sorrowful rosary. Finally, the figure of Christ is placed in the church in a large "Holy Sepulcher," which fills the entire sanctuary and remains until Easter Sunday.