Advent round
in the deer enclosure
Second Advent at Gut Aiderbichl Carinthia
A delicate blanket of snow lies over the Köglerhof, Gut Aiderbichl in Carinthia. It is the time of stop, rest and also reflection for the people. The animal world also changes in winter. The Aiderbichl donkeys, ponies, goats and pigs, the camels and the herds of cattle - they all love the fresh, fluffy snow. At Gut Aiderbichl Carinthia, our Raimund - this year he is wearing particularly beautifully grown antlers - was chosen by Quax, the pet pig, to organise the animal Advent celebration.
King Raimund
"Ah c'mon, Quax, does it have to be that way? Why me? Let the new ones, Carlos and Emma, the woolly pigs, make themselves important. Ah c'mon, they don't listen to me at all! No, I'd rather roam the forest with Susi the blind hind".
Raimund, the king of Gut Aiderbichl Carinthia, probably wants to be asked. Quax doesn't give in and Raimund says, "All right, I'll take over. First of all, we'll all go into our big forest back there and collect branches. Mercy, please get all the pigs for the meeting. Especially Quax, Carlos and Emma".
Mercy, the wild boar, sets off. A short time later, they are all in the deer enclosure waiting for Raimund's orders. Mercy turns around and walks towards the duck pond with her head hanging down. "Mercy, what's wrong?" asks Raimund, roaring softly. "Why are you leaving?". - "You told me to bring the pigs here. But you didn't tell me to stay there too. That's why I wanted to leave again". Little tears roll out of Mercy's eyes and he feels ashamed. "But Mercy, you've got it all wrong now. I have an idea. You are my assistant now. I can't manage the organisation for the celebration on the 2nd of Advent all alone. The ducks and geese won't stop quacking from all the excitement, and you know I can't stand that," Raimund said softly and gently laid his head with the heavy antlers on Mercy's back. Mercy had always been rather sensitive. Before he came to Gut Aiderbichl, he ran around all alone until a car stopped and an animal-loving woman picked him up and brought him to Aiderbichl. Since then, he has been looking for friends. His best friend is Quax, the pet pig, and since a few months also the woolly pigs Carlos and Emma.
"Well, now get on with it - what shall we do in the forest, Raimund?" asks Quax, the pet pig, bored. "Please, bring as much brushwood as you can from the forest so we can decorate the enclosure fences. Just take them with your trunks. You can do it!" says Raimund and points with his head towards the forest.
After a while, a huge mountain of fir branches appears in the courtyard of the Köglerhof. Now it's a question of who is going to attach the branches and, above all, with what. Koni, the swan, had got some ribbons, but he can't remember where he put them. A loud chattering begins. The ducks and geese are eager to start work and surround the frightened Mercy. It was so loud that the chatter could be heard for miles.
"Hello, my dears. Have you ever heard that Advent is a quiet time? Look, Engelbert, Elvira, Koni and Seeli, here are beautiful green silk ribbons. Koni has remembered again that he brought them to Susi, our blind hind. Kira, the young greylag goose, has now cut nice long pieces with her goose teeth. So we're ready to go. Engelbert and Kira, take the ribbons and tie the branches to the fence. And Koni and Seeli, you can help too".
"But I'm having a bit of a hard time, you know, I'm not the youngest anymore. But maybe Kira can help me?". With shining eyes Seeli looked at Kira, who shyly hid her little head in the feathers. The two of them were a great team and decorated the fence the most beautifully of all. After everything was ready, the ducks attached golden balls to the branches.
Satisfied, Raimund stood at the clearing and watched his friends go about their business. The pigs lay tiredly beside him and he had to smile. "Why are you laughing, it wasn't that easy to get all those twigs out of the forest". Raimund bent his head towards Emma and said "You were great. Besides, I know that pigs like to be lazy". Suddenly all the pigs stood up, chased Raimund around the enclosure and grunted "Well that's the limit! Us and lazy!" - the grunting got louder and louder, then quieter and quieter, and at some point, they all lay down in the snow: Raimund surrounded by the pigs Mercy, Quax, Emma and Carlos and the swans Engelbert, Elvira, Koni and Seeli. Kira, the young greylag goose, had made herself comfortable on Raimund's back. The ducks snuggled close to the pigs. No one chattered anymore.
It was getting dark, a few snowflakes fell on the animals. Then soft, gentle footsteps were heard in the snow. "I am blind from birth, but I also wanted to make something for the Advent celebration". Slowly all the animals lifted their heads and looked around. They saw that someone had brought an Advent wreath with two candles burning on it. It was Susi, a young blind hind. She placed the Advent wreath on the snow-covered ground. Mercy got up and walked to Susi. He walked close beside her until they arrived at Raimund's. There Susi lay down and was satisfied. Now, they were all together and Raimund told the blind hind Susi about the many stars that could be seen in the sky.
