Sheep market
Overview
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Intro
Always on the first Thursday in September. Even nowadays, in the morning, before the real business of the market begins, the sheep coming down from the mountains are still "divided", i.e. assigned to their owners. For many locals, homesick locals and visitors, however, the day really begins when the market and the music get going.
Hundreds of bleating sheep jostle through the narrow alleys of the hamlet of Riffenmatt near Guggisberg like a slow-moving avalanche. This marks the approach of autumn: each year, on the first Thursday in September, the region’s traditional Schafscheid (“sheep-sorting”) takes place here. The flocks have spent the summer on the pastures, with shepherd and sheepdog; now they are to return to their various owners. The sorting method has barely changed for centuries. The farmers corral the sheep into a big pen, look under the fleece of each one for an identifying mark, and separate them into the small pens arranged all around. After the colourful event, a market and fair draw crowds from far and wide.
Discover the surroundings
Contact
Guggisberg Tourismus
Dorf
3158
Guggisberg
Switzerland
Phone
+41 (0)31 735 50 50
info@guggisberg-tourismus.ch
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