Popular customs and festivals in Switzerland

Unparalleled in Switzerland is the religious custom celebrated at Beromünster. In the early morning of Ascension Day, a large group on horseback leaves the town for a ride around the fields.

The village of Hallwil, in Reformed Aargau, is the only one far and wide to maintain a complete cycle of winter customs, all taking place within one month. Such an effort naturally requires the initiative and the involvement of many people.

On December 5, the eve of St. Nicholas' Day, the village of Küssnacht, on the shores of Lake Lucerne, glows in the light of some two hundred enormous, transparent bishops' miters which have been artfully designed, cut out of cardboard, assembled, and lit by a candle from within.

The origins of the Lucerne Carnival, the celebration of which practically rules the town for a few days, are characterised by the figure of Fritschi, an elderly man with his wife known as the Fritschene, and the Fritschikind, or Fritschi's child.

To mark the end of the Alpine summer, in many places there is an Alpine festival in which the dairy farmers and pasture owners join the villagers in giving thanks to God, while also having a great deal of fun and socialising.

In the country town of Sursee in Canton Lucerne, a well known custom is celebrated. It is unique within Switzerland and thus attracts crowds of spectators.

The early history of the Swiss Confederation is marked by a series of decisive battles in which the alliance formed in 1291 had to be defended.

August 1, 1291 was the day representatives from the three original cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden met together on the Rütli, a meadow overlooking Lake Lucerne, and swore lasting allegiance to one another. The Swiss Confederation was born.

On the Wednesday before St. Agatha's Day, the millers, bakers, and confectioners, who together form a brotherhood and guild, meet for a service of remembrance and thereafter enjoy a meal together.