St. George's Ride & St. George's Day

Every year on the 1st Sunday in September (September 4th 2011).

Around 180 horses and lovingly decorated festive carriages accompany a splendid church procession to St. Valentin. More than 8,000 visitors look forward to this special annual event.

At 6:30 Sunday morning, a volley of canon sounds the return of an old religious tradition here in Ruhpolding: the St. George’s Ride.  The parade sets out for the “Blessing of the Horses” at 10:00 a.m. – and returns at about 11:30.

The "Irgn-Ritt", as it was called in former times, has its roots in the 16th century, when the farmers and other horse owners beseeched a divine blessing for their horses.

This year, once again, some 180 horses – primarily coldbloods and Haflingers, but also Pinzgauers and German Riding Horses – along with their owners from Ruhpolding and surrounding areas, are expected to participate in this ancient votive ride. More than 10 painstakingly decorated festive carriages will accompany the splendid procession to St. Valentin. The carved figure of Saint George, which normally resides in the Ruhpolding parish church, will also be carried in the procession.

At 10:30 a.m., the pastor of Ruhpolding will celebrate mass in St. Valentin, during which the farmers, horse owners and riding clubs will ask for the blessing of their patron saint, Saint George. Afterwards, the animals and their riders will return to the centre of town, where the parade will slowly disband.

St. George’s Day

At about 12 noon, once the parade is over, it is time to celebrate and stroll through the car-free streets of Ruhpolding!

An initiative of the Ruhpolding Marketing Association turns the entire centre of the village into one big fairground.

The shops stay open until 5:00 p.m.  And cars are not allowed back on the streets until after 8:30 p.m.

At many places around town, groups of musicians will be performing – occasionally modern, often with a very Bavarian flavor – but always in keeping with the event’s traditional roots. All kinds of attractions await the visitor on St. George’s Day.  Hearty snacks and mouth-watering delicacies for the hungry; a rich variety of musical performances for music fans!