If you look at the South Tyrolean mountains after dark on the Sunday after Corpus Christi or the third Sunday after Pentecost, you can see them clearly: Christian symbols such as hearts, crosses or the letters IHS, formed from a multitude of individual fires. Flames also decorate the evening silhouette like a string of pearls on peaks and along ridges. The Sacred Heart fires in South Tyrol, as we know them today, grew out of a long tradition.
Origins in pre-Christian times
Fires were lit in the course of ritual acts thousands of years ago. There is evidence of solstice fires in pre-Christian times, mainly on high places. In the course of Christianisation from the early Middle Ages onwards, fires were associated with saints, e.g. St. John the Baptist (24 June), according to which in some places solstice fires are still called St. John's fires today. At the same time, fires have always been used for rapid communication over long distances.
The Tyrolean Vow in the War against Napoleon
In the 18th century, the solstice fires took on an additional political significance: in the spring of 1797, the Tyrol was put on war footing by the Emperor, as Napoleon's troops were effectively at the door. In the 16th century, the Tyrolean Landlibell stipulated that the Tyroleans themselves were responsible for their own national defence. Therefore, an army had to be raised within three weeks, which experienced a veritable rush of additional volunteers after the local Parliament of Tyroleans announced that the country was to be entrusted to the "Sacred Heart of Jesus".
Why the Sacred Heart of Jesus?
The origin of devotion to the Heart of Jesus lies first in the Bible. Very early on, the heart of Jesus was interpreted as a symbol of his humanity and as an expression of his love for people. In the Middle Ages, Sacred Heart devotion was particularly widespread in the mystical teachings and thus found among scholars in the monasteries. Finally, in the 18th century, it enjoyed great popularity among the general population, which can be traced back to the missionary work of the Jesuits.
Signal fires in times of war
In order to call the so-called "Landsturm" to arms, signal fires were lit on the mountain peaks. In this way it was possible to communicate over a large area up to the remotest places within a very short time and to summon the army. When the Tyrolean troops defeated the French in 1797, Sacred Heart Sunday became a church holiday, although it was banned during the period of Bavarian rule from 1805.
Renewal of the Vow in 1809
After the Tyrolean insurgents won victory over the Bavarians and the French at the second battle on the Bergisel on 29 May 1809, the commander-in-chief Andreas Hofer renewed the Sacred Heart pledge as one of his first acts. On 6 June 1809 he proclaimed the feast day as an official church holiday.
Sacred Heart fires in South Tyrol today
Today, when the fires of the Sacred Heart are lit, the emphasis is on tradition and customs, but above all on conviviality. The people who light the fires are mountain enthusiasts, usually organised in associations such as the Peasant Youth, the Schützen, the Alpine Club or ecclesiastical youth associations such as the Jungschar. They meet up in the morning hours and bring the paraphernalia such as firewood and food to the mountains. It is not unusual for the local priest to hold a field mass. Afterwards, they have a barbecue and spend the time until evening playing games, talking or making music. As soon as dusk falls, the first fires flare up. Little by little there are more and more: hearts, hearts with crosses, the letters IHS, which derive their meanings from the Latin "Iesus Hominum Salvator (= Jesus, as the saviour of mankind), and even eagles, the symbolic animal of Tyrol, appear as glowing outlines on mountain hillsides. On almost every mountain peak, no matter how remote, at least one fire glows. In the Merano region, the Ifinger, the local mountain of the holiday region Hafling-Vöran-Meran 2000, stands out in particular with numerous symbols that are lit at every place that is accessible in any way. After the fires have gone out, the nocturnal mountaineers make their way home or spend the night in tents and sleeping bags on the mountain, which is of course a special adventure. Thanks to the clubs and associations, the Sacred Heart fires in South Tyrol are now a living tradition that has been carried on with great joy for generations.