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Swiss Folklore
Swiss folklore describes a collection of local stories, celebrations, and customs of the alpine and sub-alpine peoples that occupy Switzerland. The country of Switzerland is made up of several distinct cultures including German, French, Italian, as well as the Romansh speaking population of Graubünden. Each group has its own unique folkloric tradition. Switzerland has always occupied a crossroads of Europe. While Switzerland has existed as an alliance and country since 1291, the Swiss as a culture and people existed well before this time. Before the Swiss, the region was occupied by Pagan and later Christian Germanic tribes which would become the Swiss. Before the Germanic peoples, the region was occupied by Roman and Gallo-Roman populations. Finally, before the Romans the Celtic Helvetii lived in what would become Switzerland. In addition to conquest, Switzerland has been a crossroads of Europe since at least the Roman Empire. Constant movement of cultures and ideas into Switze ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Silvesterklaus
Silvesterklaus is a masked person taking part in Saint Sylvester's Day festivities in Appenzell, Switzerland, and thus contributing to maintain the ''Chlausen'' tradition. A Silvesterklaus or New Year's Mummer (''Chlaus'' in Swiss German) is dressed up as a Saint Sylvester or New Year's Eve character. In the Reformed half-canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, the turn of the year is still celebrated in this way. History Saint Sylvester, or New Year's Eve, is commemorated twice, once according to the Gregorian calendar on 31 December and again according to the Julian calendar on 13 January. The ''Silvesterkläuse'' put on their strange costumes and, ringing huge bells and singing a very slow yodel, deambulate in small groups from house to house, to wish the people a happy new year. If 31 December or 13 January falls on a Sunday, the ceremony is celebrated on the preceding Saturday. It is assumed that the ''Chlausen'' festival does not have pagan origins, but goes back to a late ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ubersitz
The Ubersitz is a traditional custom in Hasli, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland. On Christmas day, at nightfall, schoolboys begin with '' Treichlen'', walking through the villages in small troops, sounding giant cow-bells. The following nights, the boys are joined, and later replaced, by adult men. The Trychling culminates on 30 December (or the last workday before that date), with the ''Ubersitz'' in Meiringen Meiringen () is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. Besides the village of Meiringen, the municipality includes the settlements of Balm, Brünigen, Eisenbolgen, Hausen, Prasti, .... On this day, the ''Treichler'' are carrying frightening masks (except for the people of Unterbach and Hasliberg who remain unmasked) The different Treichel groups Meiringen The Treichel group of Meiringen is the largest one, amounting up to nearly 200 people. They have cow bells and drums and are masked very variously f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sechseläuten
The ''Sechseläuten'' (Zürich German: ''Sächsilüüte'', "The six o'clock ringing of the bells") is a traditional spring holiday in the Swiss city of Zürich celebrated in its current form, usually on the 3rd Monday of April, since the early 20th century. Burning of the Böögg Following the parade of the Zünfte (guilds), the climax of the holiday is the burning of Winter in effigy, in the form of the ''Böögg'', a figure of a snowman prepared with explosives. The custom of burning a rag doll called ''Böögg'' predates the ''Sechseläuten''. A ''Böögg'' (cognate to '' bogey'') was originally a masked character doing mischief and frightening children during the carnival season. History The roots of the festival go back to medieval times when the first day of summer working hours was celebrated in the guildhalls across the city. City ordinances strictly regulated the length of the working day in that era. During the winter semester the workday in all workshops lasted a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Schützenfest
A Schützenfest (, '' marksmen's festival'') is a traditional festival or fair featuring a target shooting competition in the cultures of Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. At a Schützenfest, contestants compete based on their shooting abilities, for example, by shooting at a wooden representation of an eagle. The competition's winner becomes the ''Schützenkönig'' ("king of marksmen") until the following year's competition. The commercially-organized Hanover Schützenfest, Germany, is the largest marksmen's funfair in the world with more than 7,000 marksmen, 250 rides and inns, five large beer tents, and the "Marksmen's Parade". The parade, with more than 10,000 participants from Germany and all over the world and more than 100 bands, is long. It is the longest parade in the world. The landmark of the funfair is one of the highest transportable big wheels (US = Ferris wheels) in the world. It is high and offers seating for 420 people in 42 cabins. History Schüt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Klausjagen
The Klausjagen ("Nicholas chase") festival takes place in the Swiss town of Küssnacht on the eve of St. Nicholas Day. The festival, attended each year by about 20,000 people, consists of a parade of around 1,500 participants, and lasts far into the night. History The procession is believed to have its roots in pre-Christian pagan traditions involving the chasing of wild spirits (compare Wild Hunt The Wild Hunt is a folklore motif (Motif E501 in Stith Thompson's Motif-Index of Folk-Literature) that occurs in the folklore of various northern European cultures. Wild Hunts typically involve a chase led by a mythological figure escorted by ...). The early forms of the Klausjagen involved much unruliness and noise, and were frowned upon by Church and authorities, and were officially outlawed in 1732, but could not be effectively suppressed. In the late 19th century, the custom was instead "Christianized" and bishop's mitres first appeared in the procession. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rapperswil
Rapperswil ( Swiss German: or ;Andres Kristol, ''Rapperswil SG (See)'' in: ''Dictionnaire toponymique des communes suisses – Lexikon der schweizerischen Gemeindenamen – Dizionario toponomastico dei comuni svizzeri (DTS, LSG)'', Centre de dialectologie, Université de Neuchâtel, Verlag Huber, Frauenfeld/Stuttgart/Wien 2005, and Éditions Payot, Lausanne 2005, , p. 727. short: ''Rappi'') is a former municipality and since January 2007 part of the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland, located at the east side of the Lake Zurich. Geography Rapperswil is located on Lake Zürich at the point at which the lake is cut in two by the Seedamm. Sights The town's main sights are concentrated in the Altstadt of Rapperswil and can be seen while strolling through the medieval alleys. The main sights of Rapperswil are its rose gardens, Rapperswil Castle, the reconstructed wooden bridge to Hur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eis-zwei-Geissebei
Eis-zwei-Geissebei is a Carnival festival held in Rapperswil (Switzerland) on Shrove Tuesday. History and origin Its origin may go back to the siege and destruction of the city of Rapperswil at St. Matthew in 1350 by Rudolf Brun, first mayor of the city of Zürich. At that time, compassionate citizens served food to hungry children through the windows of their houses, to which the current practice recalls. As of today After the traditional "Herrenessen" (dinner of the council members) in the Rathaus Rapperswil and cabaret program with distinguished guests, hundreds of children gather in the main square on Shrove Tuesday. At exactly 15:15 the windows of the town hall open and a fanfare sounds. A council member asks, “''Sind alli mini Buebe doo?''” (Swiss German: Are all my boys here?), and the answer is given: “''Joo! Eis - Zwei - Geissebei !''” (Yes, one, two, goat-leg!), whereupon sausages, bread rolls and ''Biberli'' (a sweet) are dropped down to the children on the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lent
Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, before beginning his public ministry. Lent is observed in the Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist, Moravian, Oriental Orthodox, Persian, United Protestant and Roman Catholic traditions. Some Anabaptist, Baptist, Reformed (including certain Continental Reformed, Presbyterian and Congregationalist churches), and nondenominational Christian churches also observe Lent, although many churches in these traditions do not. Which days are enumerated as being part of Lent differs between denominations (see below), although in all of them Lent is described as lasting for a total duration of 40 days. In Lent-observing Western Churches, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends approximately six weeks later; depending on the Christian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fasnacht
The Swabian-Alemannic Fastnacht, Fasnacht (in Switzerland) or Fasnat/Faschnat (in Vorarlberg) is the pre-Lenten carnival in Alemannic folklore in Switzerland, southern Germany, Alsace and Vorarlberg. Etymology Popular etymology often links ''Fastnacht'' (in Mainz also ''Fassenacht'', in Switzerland ''Fasnacht'', in Swabia ''Fasnet'', ''Fasent'') with ''fasten'' ("to fast") – allegedly from celebrations on the eve preceding fasting. In the beginning of the 20th century it was a common assumption that the tradition had its roots in pre-Christian ritual. Comparison of dialect variants, however, yields an Old High German ''*fasanaht'', with an element ''fasa-'' of unclear meaning. A likely derivation looked to Proto-Indo-European ' "purify" (cognate to '' pava-mana''), or alternatively to Middle High German ''vaselen'' "prosper, bud", and interpreted the festival as a fertility rite. Historians around Werner Mezger refuted those theories, and showed that the name derives from '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Berchtold
Berchtold (also Berthold, Bertold, Bertolt) is a Germanic name, from the Old High German ''beruht'' "bright" or "brightly" and ''waltan'' "rule over". The name comes into fashion in the German High Middle Ages, from about the 11th century. The cognate Old English name is Beorhtwald, attested as the name of an archbishop in the 8th century. Berchtold appears also as the name of the leader of the Wild Hunt in German folklore of the 16th century. The name is here replacing the female Perchta. List Notable people with the name include: Given name *Bertulf (Archbishop of Trier) (d. 883) is in some chronicles also attested as "Berthold" *Berthold, Duke of Bavaria (d. 947) *Berthold II, Duke of Carinthia (d. 1078) *Berthold II, Duke of Swabia (1050-1111) *Saint Berthold, Berthold of Parma (d. 1111) *Blessed Berthold of Garsten (d. 1142) abbot *Blessed Berchtold of Engelberg (d.1197) abbot *Saint Bertold, Berthold of Calabria (d. 1195) crusader monk *Berthold of Hanover (d. 1198) abbot * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
