Christmas - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 1974 - 2 Shilling

The customs of the Christmas circle include the baking of bread and bakeries. In Austria, different regional forms are common. Generally used for the bakery bread or gingerbread dough. The hand-shaped small pieces show human figures, but also animals and riders, snails, striezel, Beugel and awakening. In figurative forms raisins are baked as eyes and mouth in the part. The breads are supposed to be partly demonic beings, partly human beings. Dehydrated fruit, such as dumplings, pears, apples and plums, plays an important role in the old-time customs during the Christmas season; honey, milk and butter are just as important. The dried fruits are eaten as a fast food on Christmas Eve before the Mettengang as "Christmas Eve Bread". The pear and Kletzenbrot is widespread and the most important cult pastry of the year. Most of the Kletzenbrot is eaten in Vorarlberg, Tyrol, Salzburg and Upper Austria. In the eastern federal areas, there is the poppy seed or nut strudel instead of Kletzenbrotes. The stamp depicts a wooden sculpture by Meister Oberwang "Maria mit Kind" (c. 1600) from the church of St. Konrad von Oberwang in Upper Austria.