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"Goaslschnöllen" in the Val Passiria
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"Goaslschnölln "
In every mountain hut in Passeier you can find a Goasl, a kind of long whip that is swung around to make a cracking kind of sound. It is still used today in many remote mountainous areas for rounding up the cattle, or signalling to another person. A Goasl is made up of a handle, a length of rope and a Schmitzel, a type of ribbon, which is responsible for the cracking sound. The wider the Schmitzel, the louder the crack.
The length of the handle and the rope depend on the size of the person swing them. Groups of people swinging these whips can be found at most of the local festivals, and also before weddings to wake up the bride and groom to wish them luck. It is allowed to swing the whips until midnight, but at stag nights, this usually carries on till the early hours of the morning.
