My village is my home, my roots, a place where I can be who I am, where I can test myself, fail and grow. Customs such as the annual midsummer bonfire are particularly close to my heart. I have always loved making fires. Whether in the stove at home as a child, in the oven on the mountain hut, at self-built fireplaces all over the world, but at midsummer on the mountain hut, when the fires are lit on the mountains all around, it’s a very special feeling every time. You feel so small and yet part of a big, wonderful whole.
Although the village is actually small, you don’t see many people regularly. Everyone has their work, their family, different groups of friends or may be living somewhere else. But at certain festivals, I know that I will definitely see one person or another. You come together without making an arrangement and it’s as if no time has passed between now and the last party. It reminds me of when I was a child, when you just stomped off to the self-built camp or tree house and one by one your friends arrived. Getting together is so simple and uncomplicated that it inspires and strengthens you.
I was a marketender in the traditional music band in Kiefersfelden. I started at the age of 19, with breaks in between, and was 33 years old when I stopped. In the beginning, being a marketender was still characterized by old views and the older ladies paid a lot of attention to this old and very traditional representation. As we got to know each other and grew together, the “old ones” became softer and more open. They saw that it was important to me and so they were able to take many steps that were a “no-go” for them before. Together we were proud of the results of our work together. A young, fresh embodiment of tradition. Old and young, tradition and innovation complement each other and can harmonize.
These steps from my parents’ garden to the Kieferbach stream are my favorite place in the whole village. I’ve been here alone, in pairs and with lots of people. There is room here to think, talk, laugh, be loud and quiet. A place with space for simply everything.
