Austrian Traditions
The people of Austria are very proud of their traditions and do their best to keep them going .

According to Ancient and Heraldic traditions much symbolism is associated with colors. The colors on the Austrian flag represent the following:

White - peace and honesty
Red - hardiness, bravery, strength & valour

The people
People of the Austrian Alps are very interesting! many still live in the mountains and farm the land which they have done for years. They dress in traditional style dirndl dresses for the ladies and lederhosen trousers for the men. It is people like this who woke up one morning and discovered that their farm could be quite nicely converted into a hotel. Thus tourism flourished though tradition still remains.

In restaurants
Restaurants, cafes (Kinditorei) and bars there is often a Stammtisch. These are tables reserved for the locals. It is frowned upon if a stranger sits at these tables without first being invited and the stranger is thus sometimes obliged to buy the next round for the locals.

Prost
Instead of saying cheers to a drink you say prost. Make sure you look into the eyes of whoever you are prosting or it is considered to be an insult.

Weddings
A great occasion here, there are usually two ceremonies. One in the registry office, which is obligatory and one in the church which is optional. At the reception the bride is stolen by friends of the groom and taken to a different local for a drink until she is ready to be collected by the best man who must pay the bill !!!