context and aftermath. As Elias Canetti claimed of the 'Festmasse' (celebratory or holiday crowd), celebrations can produce a temporary state of liberation, of abandon; they can also be markers of continuity or sources of reactionary energy, as Joseph Roth noted, looking back to the 'Kaiserjubiläumsfestzug' after the demise of the Habsburg Empire. Contemporary practices of memory and discourses of heritage rely heavily on a globally marketable Festkultur which assimilates aspects of earlier celebratory practices. Austrian Festkultur - from Habsburg court ritual to the media spectacles of the present day, from Volksfeste to festivals of high culture and classical music - offers a broad field of enquiry.