Holidays in Switzerland
Read in German! 
Among all the Swiss traditions, there are two that stand out: August 1st and Sechseläuten. Just like the United States has an Independence Day on July 4th, Switzerland has National Day on August 1st.
It became a national holiday only recently, although it has been celebrated since 1891. The date was set as such because the 3 forest cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden signed the federal charter, also known at the Grütli Pact, in the beginning of August. The instatement of this charter is regarded as the foundation of Switzerland and united the cantons against the Hapsburg rule of that time. The official celebration is held at Rütli field, where the charter was signed. Today, Swiss National Day is characterized by barbecues, bonfires, parades, fireworks, speeches, songs, and the national anthem. It is most commonly referred to as August 1st.
Sechseläuten is unlike August 1st in that it is just celebrated in the Swiss city of Zürich, not all across the country. Held in mid/late springtime, Sechseläuten has been observed since 1904. The main event is the massive snowman that is exploded in the middle of town (but it’s not really made out of snow). The snowman, or Böögg, is an effigy of the burning of winter. The tradition has it that the time it takes the snowman to explode after the fuse is lit indicates the condition of the upcoming summer. A quick explosion bodes well, predicting warm, sunny skies. A long wait, however, means a rainy, dreary summer is to come. The shortest time recorded was 5 minutes and 7 seconds in 1974. The longest time on record was over 26 minutes in 2001. In addition to the Böögg, there is a children’s parade on the preceding Sunday and a parade on the day of, including 26 representations of each of the 26 different guilds dressed in traditional attire. Following the explosion, there is, of course, much food to be eaten.
These are two grand celebrations in Switzerland, but they are by no means the only ones. If you are planning a trip to Switzerland , be sure to catch one of these splendid events!
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Written by Kathleen Webb ('10) and Rafael Marty (Swiss exchange student).
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