[Ron H.]

did you even watch it?

I was wondering the same thing.

[edwinland]

did you even watch it?

I was wondering the same thing.

In case you're still wondering: yes.

And I've seen it before in Italy (that's not Austria, in case you're wondering)

It's an ancient tradition involving dressing up and causing light mayhem. The sticks they use are designed not to cause injury.

Here's an example from 2010:

https://youtu.be/cGZliTiW44U