Rauhnacht

The smoke nights (also called Rauhnacht) are the twelve nights, and in general the time between the birth of Christ and the Three Kings' Day, which in popular belief are especially connected with the spirit world; namely the eve or the night of Christmas Day (Christmas Eve), New Year's Day and Epiphany. Also the Thomas night is a Rauhnacht. Rough nights are nights of fate and weatherlessness; they appear favourable for the love oracle, the bridegroom's forecast and the questioning of fate; they are suitable for the devil's alliance, the conjuring of witches and the recognition of druids. Everywhere lurks the fiend. Ghosts haunt and animals talk. Certain places are avoided. In this book Reinhard Haller tells of the gruesome and mysterious things that go on during these nights. The stories are written in the Bavarian dialect and translated directly next to each in High German.