Now we cross the border into Austria
to the town that to me always feels like Christmas: Salzburg.
With its old town gathered under its formidable castle,
Salzburg celebrates the holidays
with an Alpine elegance.
[ Horseshoes clopping ]
Christmas-y shopping lanes delight browsers.
Markets are busy as shoppers gather
last-minute holiday decorations
and perhaps a fresh sprig of mistletoe.
[ Gunshots ]
These Tyroleans celebrate the season
in noisier fashions as well.
[ Gunshot ]
From the castle ramparts, high above town,
traditional gunners fire away
as they have since the days when they really believed
these shots would scare away evil spirits.
[ Gunshots ]
Salzburg, nicknamed the Rome of the North,
has a magnificent cathedral
inspired by St. Peter's at the Vatican.
Locals here in the town of Mozart pack the place
to mix worship with glorious music.
[ Orchestra playing; Choir singing ]
[ Bells chiming "Silent Night" ]
It was here, in the region of Salzburg that
the most loved carol of the Christmas season,
"Silent Night," was sung for the first time
nearly two hundred years ago.
According to legend, a local priest
went out one Christmas night to bless a newborn baby.
As he walked home in the snow, he was so moved
by the stillness of the starlit and holy night
that he wrote a poem about it.
He gave the poem to Franz Gruber,
the organist in his church, who composed a simple tune.
On Christmas Eve, 1818,
the carol was sung for the first time
accompanied only by a guitar.
[ Plucks introductory notes ]
Both: ♪ Stille nacht ♪
♪ Heilige nacht ♪
♪ Alles schläft...♪
Austria is one of Europe's more traditional corners.
Its strong Catholicism and love of heritage
shine especially brightly
at Christmastime in the countryside.
♪ ...Hochheilige Paar ♪
♪ Holder knabe ♪
♪ Im lockigen Haar ♪
We're visiting the Weissacher family farm.
A typically Tyrolean Christmas yodel
offers us the warmest of welcomes.
[ Group singing in harmony ]
Rick: "Sehr schön, danke."
"Frohe Weihnachten! Kommt herein, bitte."
This family happily shares its love of the season
with a guest.
Like just about anywhere,
part of Christmas is making cookies with grandma.
More unique to Austria is this ritual
in which the dad blesses the home with incense
as his daughter follows with holy water.
The prayer is for a healthy and happy new year.
Maria teaches her daughters how the advent wreath
marks the four weeks of advent:
The season of preparation
leading to the advent or arrival of Jesus.
Ancient peoples were the first wreath makers.
For Christians, that evergreen circle
came to symbolize everlasting life.
The candles, one for each week,
reminded them that the birth of their savior
was approaching.
Austrians lovingly decorate their tree,
but keep it secret and hidden from the children
until December 24 arrives.
We'll check back a little later
to see what Christmas brings.