The “Kufenstechen” is an event that takes place in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feistritz_an_der_Gail" class="extiw" title="en:Feistritz an der Gail">Feistritz an der Gail</a> in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carinthia_(state)" class="extiw" title="en:Carinthia (state)">Carinthia</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria" class="extiw" title="en:Austria">Republic of Austria</a> during the annual <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermesse_(festival)" class="extiw" title="en:Kermesse (festival)">Kermesse</a> on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whit_Monday" class="extiw" title="en:Whit Monday">Whit Monday</a>. The task of young unmarried men, riding on bareback <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noriker_horse" class="extiw" title="en:Noriker horse">Noriker horses</a>, is to smash a wooden barrel with an iron <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_(weapon)" class="extiw" title="en:Club (weapon)">club</a>. The men have to ride past several times before the barrel is destroyed. Finally, when it is broken, the winner receives a wreath of flowers which he puts on his wrist. Directly afterwards the traditional dance under the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilia" class="extiw" title="en:Tilia">lime tree</a> can begin. The winner of the „Kufenstechen“ begins the dance and the other unmarried couples, wearing the traditional <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Gailtal" title="Category:Gailtal">Gailtaler</a> folk costumes, join them. The dance is accompanied by very old traditional songs.
<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Michael_G%C3%A4bler" title="User:Michael Gäbler">Michael Gäbler</a>
CC BY 3.0
<span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>