Tales and legends
The Tyrol is rich in legends and tales, many of which have their roots in rural life, the natural elements and the surrounding mountains. One example is the expression "petit bonhomme vit encore" ("little man still lives"), still sometimes used to indicate that a person has escaped death. This expression is found in a song sung in the mountains by the elders. The character of "Jean de l'Ours" is also still represented, this hero of a widespread tale (which echoes the legend of Romulus and Remus) is common to several countries and regions, including France and the Italian Tyrol.
The place of religion today
The Counter-Reformation and the Catholic orders, notably the Jesuits, but also the Benedictines and Augustinians, profoundly shaped the region's religious character. Even today, Tyrol boasts many monasteries that remain active and significant in local life. Fiecht Abbey, for example, is Tyrol's oldest monastic foundation. On the whole, religious festivals are well attended in the Tyrol, and certain events (processions, outdoor masses) take over the territory far beyond the churches. Christmas, for example, is one of the highlights of the year, with its many traditions. These include the renowned Christmas markets or Weihnachtsmärkte, which are held throughout the Advent season in villages and towns. Austria and Italy being lands of immigration by virtue of their geography, several other religions have appeared over the years. A large proportion of today's Muslims in Austria are descendants of foreign guest workers from the 1960s, and refugees from the wars in Yugoslavia (1991-2001).
Catholicism remains the majority
Today, a large majority of Austrian Tyroleans and Italian South Tyroleans are Christians, the vast majority of whom are Catholics. The Catholic presence can be seen in the many monasteries and abbeys. Processions in the towns also mark the strength of the Catholic presence. In the Austrian Tyrol, the Catholic religion is in the majority (around 75% of the population). According to Austrian figures, the next largest groups are Protestants, Muslims (now mainly of Turkish origin), Orthodox, Buddhists and Jews, whose population was deported during the Second World War. On both sides of the Brennerpass (the pass that has separated Austria from Italy since the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye came into force in 1919), the Catholic religion is still very much in the majority and massively followed, even if its weight is tending to diminish considerably in the larger towns. In the Italian Tyrol, particularly in the valleys and mountainsides of the South Tyrol, there are monasteries dating back more than ten centuries. The history of these splendid monuments, with their cloisters, libraries, courtyards, gardens and parish churches, is marked not only by political disputes, but also by conflicts between the nobility, the clergy, the peasants and the bourgeoisie.
