Page 25 - Guide_EN

Employees were usually approached by potential new employers or began looking for a new job in late autumn. Farmhands looking for a position showed this by wearing a spoon either attached to their hat or their jacket. The changing of work place was not always so straightforward. In some cases, the farmhands had to leave a farm against their wish without having another farm or job to go to. As a result, many human tragedies were played out around Candlemas and Saint Blaise’s Day. If a farmer let his farmhands go before the winter, he was banishing them to poverty, as it was very difficult to find new employment during the working the year. If a farmhand left his job during the harvesting season, it was seen as gross misconduct which was noted in the reference book and he would find it very difficult to find a new job in the future. (Source Salzburg Wiki www. salzburg.com). 23