Bolivia
Schleicherlaufen Festival, Austria
Photograph by Melissa Farlow
The streets of Telfs, Austria, are transformed into a mystical world of Schleicher (skulkers), wilden (savages), and other costumed creatures who parade through town once every five years for the Schleicherlaufen festival just before the beginning of Lent. Documented evidence of Schleicherlaufen dates to the 15th century, but the festival may well have older roots in the rituals of pre-Christian peoples in Austria’s Tyrol region.
