Festlegende

Festlegende is a German term used to describe traditional narratives connected to a festival or holiday. The phrase literally combines Fest (festival) and Legende (legend), and in ordinary usage it refers to stories that explain the origins of a festival, justify its rites, or commemorate events, persons, or miracles associated with the celebration.

In folklore and ethnology, festlegende are treated as part of the broader tradition of etiological or explanatory legends. They often mix elements of history, religion, and local belief, and may feature saints, legendary heroes, miraculous apparitions, or natural phenomena credited with shaping the festival's calendar or practices.

Geographically, festlegende are most commonly found in German-speaking regions, including Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland, as well as in communities with strong German cultural influence. They have historically been transmitted orally, though many were subsequently collected, written down, and archived by folklorists and cultural historians in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Scholarly attention to festlegende focuses on their functions in social memory, identity, and ritual life. Researchers examine variants, performance contexts (parades, processions, market days), and the symbolic meanings encoded in the stories. Contemporary interest often centers on preserving regional heritage, supporting festival programming, and digitizing oral histories.