The tallest young man, wearing a white beard, leads the procession. In his hand is a pole with a long sooty rag attached. Curiosity seekers leaning from their windows risk getting more than just an eyeful of the event. The men are all dressed in large, dark coats. Each wears a tall, black top hat made of fine cardboard. Some hats are more than six feet high. This headgear has no deeper meaning, however. It is simply the result of playful competition among the participants over the years.

The relatively tame, elegant form of today's procession is approximately a half century old. It replaces the wild festivities practiced here and in other villages of the canton from the early nineteenth century onwards.