Blutritt

The Weingarten procession

In Weingarten, the observance begins on Ascension Thursday evening with a lantern walk from Saint Martin's Basilica to the Kreuzberg. Early the next morning, known as Blood Friday, thousands of horsemen assemble. Dressed formally in top hats and dark tailcoats, riders organize into over one hundred distinct groups. At the center of the procession is the Rider of the Holy Blood, a role filled by the parish priest. He carries a gemstone-encrusted cross containing the relic, secured with safety chains. Accompanied by dozens of musical bands, the mounted retinue completes a ten-kilometer circuit across four hours, stopping at four designated outdoor altars.

Relic origins and lore

Local tradition traces the relic to Longinus, the Roman soldier who pierced Jesus during the crucifixion. According to the legend, drops of blood touched the soldier's face and healed him. He collected drops mixed with earth in a lead container and took them to Mantua. After several divisions and rediscoveries over the centuries, Emperor Henry III acquired a portion. It eventually passed to Judith of Flanders, wife of the Duke of Bavaria. Judith presented the relic to Weingarten Abbey in 1094 on the Friday following Ascension Day, establishing the historical basis for the annual date and devotion.

Traditions across regions

While Weingarten hosts Europe's largest equestrian pilgrimage, other communities maintain similar customs. Bad Wurzach holds its ride on the second Friday of July, drawing around 1,500 riders and thousands of pilgrims. That event honors a blood-stained cloth obtained from Pope Innocent XII in 1693, concluding with outdoor preaching on the Gottesberg. Other German towns such as Neuler, Schwenningen, and Westhausen host their own rides, while several Swiss communities in Lucerne hold related processions on Ascension Day. In Weingarten, a smaller gathering on the first Sunday in July brings banner-bearing delegates together on foot.

Rituals and parish life

In earlier centuries, the Weingarten ride also served as a civic inspection of community borders. Fathers rode with young sons who had reached adulthood, boxing their ears at prominent boundary markers so the landmarks would stay firmly in their memory. Over time, the event centered purely on religious blessing. The Weingarten Blood Friday Community was founded in 1968 to preserve these practices. Today, tens of thousands of visitors stand along the road to watch the blessing of farmlands and homes as the riders pass.

How Blutritt is kept

On Blood Friday morning, thousands of men on horseback gather in formal suits and top hats. The Rider of the Holy Blood leads them out of Weingarten carrying the jewel-set reliquary. Over a four-hour route covering ten kilometers, the mounted company visits four outdoor altars. The priest raises the cross to bless surrounding fields, houses, and neighborhoods before bringing the relic back to the basilica.

When and where

The main Weingarten ride takes place annually on Blood Friday, the day immediately following Ascension Day. A secondary gathering without horses occurs on the first Sunday of July. Other towns, like Bad Wurzach, hold their rides on the second Friday in July.

The pilgrimage is centered in Upper Swabia in southern Germany, primarily around the town of Weingarten and nearby Bad Wurzach. Related equestrian processions take place in other German towns and across several municipalities in the Swiss canton of Lucerne.

What Blutritt means

For participants, the procession is an act of male pilgrimage and communal faith focused on the healing power of the Holy Blood. Carrying the relic into the surrounding countryside extends a sacred blessing over crops, livestock, homesteads, and the broader community.

Questions people ask about Blutritt

See also

CandlemasA Christian feast of candle blessings marking the end of the Christmas seasonCamino de SantiagoA Christian walking pilgrimage across Europe to the shrine of Saint James in SpainVisitationA Christian feast commemorating Mary's journey to visit her cousin ElizabethSaint Nicholas DayThe feast day of Saint Nicholas, kept in Advent with gifts, shoes and church services

Good reading and sources

• Blutritt on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-06.