"Usche" Kirchtag in Prettau/Predoi

The "Usche" Kirchtag in Predoi

In the most remote part of the Ahrntal valley, where the road ends at the foot of the glaciers on the Austrian border, the municipality of Predoi (Prettau) preserves one of the most unique folk rituals in South Tyrol. In the hamlet of Casere/Kasern, the highest in the village, the 1. Junggesellenverein Prettau — the ancient brotherhood of bachelors, composed exclusively of unmarried men — organizes the "Usche" Kirchtag every autumn, the patronal festival that effectively closes the Kirchtag season of the Upper Puster Valley.

The "Usche", the female counterpart to the Kirchtagmichl

In almost all the villages of the Ahrntal valley — Lutago, Rio Bianco, San Giovanni, Cadipietra, San Giacomo, San Pietro — the eve of the festival sees the raising of the Kirchtagmichl, a straw puppet wearing leather breeches, a white shirt, and a hat, tied to the top of a pole that can reach 25 meters in height. Erecting it without a crane, using only physical strength and traditional hauling techniques, is a point of pride for the local youth, who must then guard it to prevent it from being stolen by neighboring villages.

In Predoi, and particularly in Casere, the tradition takes on a unique local twist: here, the figure hoisted onto the pole is not the male "Michl", but a female figure, the "Usche", whose name recalls Saint Ursula. Linked to the ancient "Oberländer Kirchtag" around the feast of Saint Ursula, the "Usche" suffers the same fate as the Michl and becomes the symbol with which the bachelors of Predoi bid farewell to the end of the festive Puster autumn.

Two days of celebration in Casere

The festival takes place over a weekend. Saturday afternoon is dedicated to preparing and raising the "Usche", followed by live music in the evening; on Sunday, musical entertainment resumes around noon and continues throughout the afternoon. Everything takes place under a large heated marquee set up in Casere/Kasern, featuring typical South Tyrolean cuisine, seasonal specialties, and the intimate, genuine atmosphere of mountain villages.

An identity-defining event of the Upper Ahrntal

More than just a village festival, the "Usche" Kirchtag is a cornerstone of the identity of this alpine community in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, in Trentino-Alto Adige. It passes down a heritage of rituals, songs, and crafts linked to the farming world and youth brotherhoods, and represents the annual occasion for Predoi when the entire village comes together. For those visiting the Ahrntal valley in autumn, witnessing the raising of the "Usche" means discovering an authentic fragment of South Tyrolean Brauchtum, far from mass tourism circuits.