have hearings, resolve disputes, and release apprentices. The fixed form of the festival today dates to a ducal order of 1651, which granted the right to hold the celebrations. The festival takes place over a long weekend. On the Friday, spectators can catch a glimpse of the life of a shepherd by watching the sheepherding contest, in which shepherds compete at sheeptending tasks in the Markgröningen fields. The seven stages of the contest consist of the ten most important tasks in the everyday life of the shepherd, and thus make up a microcosm of a sheepherding day. The actual "shepherds' run," the centerpiece of the festival, takes place on the Saturday. First shepherds' daughters and trained female shepherds, dressed prettily in red, white, and green skirts, then male shepherds, race barefoot over a stubble field 300 paces (240 meters) long. The winners receive a sheep as a prize and are crowned Shepherd Queen and Shepherd King, respectively. Following their coronation, the shepherd dance pays homage to the royal couple. The race is preceded by a ceremonial mass, a colorful procession to the race field featuring many bands and groups in traditional costumes and also several sheep, and traditional games such as sack races and water-carrying. Following the race, the procession returns to the town square for the dancing. On the Sunday many of the festivities are repeated, including the procession, but this time children from the local schools run the races while adults compete separately at water-carrying and stilt-walking. Since 1963, the festival has lasted through Monday and ends with a fireworks display. It also includes a market of traditional crafts, a funfair, and a petting zoo. The festival was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. References Sources Max Mertz, Erich Tomschik, Maria Lenk, Lothar Buck. Markgröningen: Das Bild der Stadt im Wandel der Zeit. Verlag des Arbeitskreises Geschichtsforschung Heimat- und Denkmalpflege Markgröningen, 1969. OCLC 26502074 Hermann Römer. Markgröningen im Rahmen der Landesgeschichte. Volume 1 Urgeschichte und Mittelalter. Volume 2 1550–1750. Markgröningen: Renczes, 1933, 1930. OCLC 312370398, 312370852 Petra Schad, Martin Frieß. Siebenhundert Jahre Heilig-Geist-Spital Markgröningen. Markgröningen, 1997. External links Town of Markgröningen website Ludwigsburg (district)