The Almabtrieb marks the end of the summer grazing season, when cattle return from the high mountain pastures to the valley. In Bad Kleinkirchheim, the day begins in St. Oswald as the animals are prepared and decorated before their descent, followed by music, a livestock blessing, food and an arts-and-crafts market on the Unterwirt festival meadow. The custom belongs to the working agricultural calendar of the Nockberge, but when the summer on the Alm has passed safely, the return becomes a public celebration of the season’s close.