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>>/2678/ A lot of these traditions have become commercialised tourist attractions but in alpine villages this stuff is still taken serious. One of these are the Buttnmandln around Berchtesgaden, unmarried men clad in straw and adorned with cow bells and wooden demon masks. They are organized in a sort of secret society and anonymously visit houses around midwinter to ward off evil spirits, sometimes together with St. Nicholas. Nobody knows who's in the costumes. It's prime imagistic shamanism that probably dates back to the neolithic and a sort of initiation rite for young men. A lot of alpine regions have their regional variation of such midwinter customs but many involve men clad in fur and devil masks, with cow bells and chains - the Perchten. Things can get violent when both vilagers and the costume-clad Perchten get drunk and start brawls. Very Bavarian.