The currently cooler temperatures are giving the star daffodils in Ausseerland – and therefore also the organizers of the Daffodil Festival – a breather. Because the daffodils are already growing. Whether hundreds of thousands of them can be picked for the daffodil figures at the end of May depends on the further weather conditions. But the organizers themselves remain optimistic. “We have to wait and work with what nature gives us. It is a festival that we celebrate together with nature on June 2nd,” says Maria Schoiswohl, spokeswoman for the Daffodil Festival Association.
Shared experiences
But while the daffodils are still being slowed down in growth, the search for the new daffodil sovereignty continues. This year too, three young women between the ages of 18 and 30 will be crowned Daffodil Queen or Daffodil Princesses to represent the Ausseerland-Salzkammergut region for a year. “We were there at the Ski Flying World Championships, at the Steirerball in the Hofburg and at many other events – the most beautiful thing was definitely the Daffodil Festival itself,” says the reigning Daffodil Queen Michaela Ertlschweiger.
Upper Austria’s Daffodil Princess Sophia Hellwig from Gmunden also looks back on the year with both a laughing and a crying eye: “It is of course a great pity that this time is now coming to an end, but we have so many great experiences that connect us three daffodil sovereigns.”
“What counts is personality”
Anyone interested can apply online or by post until April 28th. On May 4th, the organizers invite you to the official casting in Ausseerland, where the young women will face a jury. What tips do the reigning highnesses have for their successors? “What counts is your personality and that you can identify with the Ausseerland. And it is definitely recommended to come in traditional costume,” says Daffodil Princess Celin Pichler.
Who will actually become queen at this year’s 64th Daffodil Festival will be decided by the audience at the coronation evening on May 30th in Bad Aussee. “So it will remain exciting until the end to see who will be the queen,” says Rudolf Grill, chairman of the Daffodil Festival Association.
Author
Karoline Ploberger
Editor Upper Austria
Karoline Ploberger
