Popular customs and festivals in Switzerland

Aarau wird nicht nur von der Aare, sondern auch vom Stadtbach durchflossen, einem künstlich angelegten Wasserlauf, der früher das unentbehrliche Nass von einer Quelle in die Stadt führte.

On the fourth Monday in November, the upper part of the old city of Bern between the railway station and the Bundesplatz, the square facing the Parliament buildings, is transformed into a giant marketplace.

The origin of this New Year's Eve custom in the Bernese town of Laupen can be traced back to the beginning of the nineteenth century. Originally it took place on the day of Christmas. Since it was a rather noisy and sometimes even rowdy celebration, town officials repeatedly tried to forbid it, without success.

During carnival time, when everything is "upside down", the town of Solothurn changes into Honolulu - since a witty fellow once claimed that the town on the River Aare was exactly on the other side of the globe from Hawaii. This idea is still maintained.