Kirwa Schönlind (Vilseck)

The Schönlind Kirwa

Schönlind is a small district of Vilseck, incorporated in 1946. The annual Kirwa is organized by the local fire department and is one of the fixed traditional dates in May. The one-day festival on Weiherweg is part of the Upper Palatinate Kirwa tradition, which has been part of the Bavarian state register of UNESCO intangible cultural heritage since 2018.

Kirwa as Cultural Heritage

The Upper Palatinate Kirwa differs from the Franconian Kirchweih (another type of folk festival) through its own choreography: setting up the Kirwabaum by the Kirwaboum (Kirwa lads), the Austanzen of the couples in traditional costume on the afternoon of the festival, and finally a hiding game for the Kirwastrauß (Kirwa bouquet) and dancing in the festival tent. In Schönlind, this ritual is passed down from generation to generation.

Festival Grounds and Community Life

The organizer is the Schönlind Volunteer Fire Department, which organizes the festival tent and catering independently. The festival begins in the afternoon with a Kirwa church service, followed by the Kirwapaare in traditional costume parading from the village to the festival grounds, where the Austanzen takes place. In the evening, a live band plays for dancing, and the festival tent remains open until late at night.

In the Amberg-Sulzbach Region

Vilseck and its districts are located in the northwestern Upper Palatinate, a region rich in tradition with numerous Kirwa festivals between May and September. Visitors to the Schönlind Kirwa will often find several neighboring Kirwa festivals on the same weekend in the Amberg-Sulzbach region, inviting a tour through the local festival tents.