traditional customs . Meistertrunk ( Master draught ) and shepherd &apos;s dance , Rothenburg-on-Tauber , Sundays in June , July and August . the Meistertrunk is the best known and most popular of the Bavarian history plays . and it takes place , of course , in perhaps the most picturesque medieval town in Germany . the Master draught is based on chronicled events of the thirty years &apos; war . when , in October , 1631 , the imperial field marshal Tilly brought his troops to the town , demanding its surrender , the citizens refused . however , at last they had to give in , and the conqueror decided the burgomaster and the councilmen should suffer the death penalty . pleas from the women and children softened Tilly &apos;s heart somewhat . but good wine did more , for when he saw the magnificent state beaker he stated that if the burgomaster or one of the council could empty it at one draught all should live and the city be spared . burgomaster Nush undertook the task , and emptied the beaker at one draught , thus saving everyone . this historical beaker is still used when the epic story is re-enacted to-day , although this scene is but one in a play in which the actors wear period costumes . the entire town is the stage , with the troop encampment outside the city walls , the children &apos;s plea with Tilly on the market square , and all the rest . in the afternoon of some days of the history play , the historical shepherds &apos; dance is performed in the market square . it is danced in honour of St Wolfgang , patron-saint of shepherds , and commemorates a member of the shepherds &apos; guild who made a race from his pastures to the city to bring warning of the approach of an enemy . the troop encampment outside the city walls lasts until late , when camp fires and torch-light add to the romantic scene . on certain evenings during the summer , Hans Sachs plays are given in a local hall . Kinderzeche ( children &apos;s feast ) , Dinkelsbu&quot;hl , July . this medieval town , not far from Rothenburg , also re-enacts an episode from the thirty years &apos; war . when a Swedish colonel came with his troops to conquer the town , the burghers were split in their attitude . in perplexity the city fathers tried vainly to find a solution . ruin and destruction seemed inevitable . it was then that a beautiful young girl , named Lore , accompanied by a crowd of small children , offered to go out to meet the Colonel and to beg pity for the town . but before the plan could be realised the Swedish troops had entered the city , ready to destroy it . at that moment , the song of children &apos;s voices sounded from afar , and then Lore appeared with her young band . fearlessly she faced the conqueror , knelt and begged his mercy for the town and its people . the colonel &apos;s heart softened , and Dinkelsbu&quot;hl was saved from destruction . the Kinderzeche festival is first of all a children &apos;s event . it usually begins on the Saturday before the third Monday in July with beer sampling on the shooting meadows . the next morning the boys &apos; band marches through the city in historical costumes , playing lustily . the festival play is performed in the ancient market hall . during the play period , the entire town is one great festival ground . there are processions , children &apos;s dances , concerts , guild and sword dances , and many other entertainments . Hamelin is mainly familiar to us through the legend of the Rattenfa&quot;nger ( rat-catcher ) , related in Browning &apos;s poem . the event is celebrated each Sunday in summer when the story is re-enacted by a piper and boys , the latter disguised as mice . unfortunately , modern research tends to discredit the legend , claiming that what really happened was a visit from a labour agent who attracted many local young men away to Bohemia , with the promise of good wages . the princely wedding , Landshut , every two or three years ( usually on three Sundays in June and July ) . this is one of the most colourful events in Europe . it is a re-enactment of a gorgeous wedding which took place in 1745 when Ludwig the rich married his son , Duke George , to Hedwiga of the royal house of Poland . in addition to a festive procession , the houses of this medieval town are beautifully decorated for the occasion , and nearly a thousand burghers , dressed in the rich costumes of the middle ages , strut around and bring those opulent days back to life for a short while . I say opulent , for it is officially recorded that at the feasting which followed the actual wedding , 333 oxen , 275 fat pigs , 40 calves , and 12,000 geese were eaten . Tanzel-Festival , Kaufbeuren , July . this is another outstanding costume festival held in a small town lying between Augsburg and Fu&quot;ssen . it celebrates an old custom dating back to 1497 , and begins with the enactment of an historic scene , when the burgomaster with his councillors receives King Conradin who , on horseback and accompanied by his knights and bishops , appears at the door of the town hall . the festival &apos;s climax , however , is the great procession through the town , with heralds , flower-girls , drummers , the King , the city council and their ladies , lansquenets in plus-fours , followed by the guilds and their state carriages , among them weavers , brewers , tanners and blacksmiths . archers appear , flag-wavers , medievally-clad soldiers and yellow mail coaches with postillions industriously blowing their horns . there are many bands , while perhaps the most beautiful features of the festival are the 800 children , dressed in historic costumes . anno 1634 , No&quot;rdlingen , during summer months . this is the most southerly of the three medieval towns lying on the romantic road , and it still retains its fortress wall with 18 towers . the Daniel Tower of its fine St George &apos;s Church still sees a unique nightly ceremony , for at nine each night a watchman at its summit cries to another on the ground that all &apos;s well . the play re-enacts various events in the thirty years &apos; war . there are dances in period costumes , concerts and other entertainments . the town &apos;s populace form the cast for the play , and the streets offer a fascinating picture , resembling indeed a medieval master &apos;s painting . spearing the dragon , Fu&quot;rth-im-Wald . for 500 years this town in the Bayerischer Wald has performed an exciting open-air play ( every second Sunday in August ) , called Drachenstich ( spearing the dragon ) . it is based , obviously , on some pagan legend . performed in the market square , the play has as its climax the killing of the dragon ( 50 ft long , 10 ft high , and weighing over a ton ) by a knight on horseback who pierces the monster &apos;s head by thrusting his spear into it through the throat . the hero must be careful , however , not to miss a pig &apos;s bladder filled with ox blood , so the wounded animal can spout blood . the dragon looks comically gruesome when it spouts fire , rolls the eyes , shows its giant teeth , wiggles its large blood-red tongue and twists its huge body . with the Drachenstich , of course , go merrymaking and various festivities , including a grand procession through the streets . Fu&quot;rth-im-Wald is also the scene of a Leonhardi ride - a religious festival really , and it takes place on Easter Monday . other Leonhardi rides in Bavaria are usually held on November 6th , the saint &apos;s day . Trenck , the Pandur , Waldmu&quot;nchen ( July to August ) . this open-air play performed after dark is notable for its excellent artistic management and the highly realistic acting . among the players are many direct descendants of the characters they represent in the play . the story is about the capture , sack and burning of the town by a notorious leader of Hungarian Pandur bands in the year 1742 . the nightly troop encampment scenes , wild riding , and especially the storming of the town with scaling ladders , torches and burning pitch , are exciting and exceedingly well done . Ulmer Fischerstechen , Ulm , first Monday in August on the Danube . according to old tradition , two boats approach with the participants in old costumes , and try and joust each other into the water with lances . the sport was already popular in the 16th century when Kaiser Karl 5 and his son , later King Philip 2 of Spain , allowed it in 1549 . this Turnier auf dem Wasser ( tournament on the water ) was played in the old Ulm days when it was a free city and the game took place between youngsters of the fishermen &apos;s guild . it is today performed as a pageant , and is also popular in other countries . potters &apos; festival , Passau , first Saturday in August . the products of the potters of the Ilz section of this three-river city have long been famous . although their great boom period is no more , the Ilz Haferl festival ( pottery festival ) is still celebrated with great enthusiasm . all the buildings in town and the moated castle , Niederhaus , are specially illuminated , dance music is played in the open , there are open-air performances , water games , boat racing , and a pageant . the climax is a large scale illumination of the town and Oberhaus fortress and the old section of Passau . there is a splendid display of fireworks ; and one seems wafted to a night in Venice . folk festival , Nuremburg , usually in August . founded in 1826 , this festival is rather similar to the better-known Oktoberfest of Munich . there are the great beer tents , representative shows , entertainments and other attractions . on the Friday before the first festival Sunday the chief burgomaster empties the first mass ( about one quart ) in the course of a grand beer sampling ceremony . crowds pour into the city from the surrounding Bavarian towns and villages , and there is a joyous atmosphere of wit and good humour - two strong characteristics of the citizens . teenagers &apos; festival , Worms , first week in September . this is one of the most amusing festivals in Germany . among the events are the historical coachmen &apos;s dance , a hilarious fishermen &apos;s jousting tournament on the Rhine , fought from small boats , a parade of illuminated vessels , and a giant firework display . huge wine and beer tents , holding thousands of visitors , as well as numerous booths are to be found in the fair grounds beside the river &apos;s bank . the Tura Michele , Augsburg . since 1526 , a group of figures representing the archangel Michael with the devil at his feet has been in the understructure of the Perlach Tower of the city hall . on St Michael &apos;s day , September 29th , the angel appears every hour on the hour , and with each sound of the hour stabs the struggling devil . during the last war the historical figure was destroyed , but a new one is now carrying on the old custom . every year a fair is held on this day and the so-called Tura Michele is visited by many tourists . driving the cattle home , Bavarian Alps . according to an ancient custom the Almabtrieb - driving the cattle home from the mountains - is the occasion of a great autumn festival in the Bavarian Alps . in a festive procession the cattle , wreathed and garlanded , stamp down the hills , the dairy maid out front and the shepherd boy following the herd . particularly pretty is the driving-down of the cows from the pastures above Lake Ko&quot;nigssee near Berchtesgaden , where the cattle are carried across the lake by boat . traditional costume festivals , southern Bavaria . the union of Bavarian costume clubs comprises some 650 clubs with a total of 70,000 members . throughout the year , but especially during the summer months , these clubs hold costume festivals . one of the outstanding examples is the annual pageant in Munich in October . the most beautiful native costumes from all over the country are on parade there , to the accompaniment of bands , also in native garb . these costume days and festivals are real folk events , complete with field mass , extended processions , honour dances , and music band contests . Leonhardi-ride , Bad To&quot;lz . November 6th is the name-day of St Leonhard , patron saint of the horses . in old Bavaria , the day has been observed for centuries by the peasants &apos; Leonhardi ride to church in which well-groomed , beautifully harnessed horses draw richly decorated wagons . while many villages have clung to this ancient custom , no Leonhardi ride has become so famous as the one of To&quot;lz in the Isar river bend . the preparations take weeks , and from distant farmsteads they come to Kalvarien ( Calvary ) Mountain at To&quot;lz , high above the Isar . 