In the Light of Turnip Lanterns

It's been a beautiful fall this year so far with lots of sun and colours. Now however, most leaves have fallen from the trees and the days are getting even shorter and quite a bit colder. It's once more the season of cozy evenings by the fire or a cup of hot punch on the ice skating rink. It's not quite Christmas yet but we're starting to feel the need for pretty lights and warmth in those first wintery days.

A Surprising Winter Tradition

Traditionally, these first days of winter mark the beginning of the Christmas season in Switzerland. While it's too early still to start opening your Christmas Calendar or light the candles on your Advent Wreath, you can definitely start getting them ready and you probably can also sign up for a place in your local Advent Windows activity already. Starting with Christmas shopping might be a good idea as well.

So, while this pre-Christmas season is mainly marked with preparations for the 'real thing', it is also the time for another surprising winter tradition in Switzerland. This is the time when the traditional turnip lantern processions, which we call a 'Räbeliechtliumzug' in Swiss German, take place. 

Räbeliechtli literally means 'small turnip light'

In the early evening, kindergarten and primary school kids walk around their town with their lanterns called 'Räbeliechtli' which they carved from turnips (or beetroots). And no, this is not a Swiss version of Halloween despite the obvious similarities. Let me explain.

Räbeliechtli

Origins of Räbeliechtli

The tradition of making lanterns from turnips has its origins in the celebration of the last harvest of the year. Turnips were amongst the last vegetables harvested and I assume that is why they were originally chosen for this craft. (In addition to them being nice big and round which is an advantage if you're trying to carve them out.) In the circle of their family, children hollowed and carved their turnips and put a candle inside to turn it into a lantern which they then placed in or around their homes.

How we celebrate Räbeliechtliumzug today

Today, turnips are grown almost only for the purpose of lantern-making and the carving mainly is done in schools or kindergartens. With the help of parents and teachers, the kids carefully empty their turnips and try to carve beautiful patterns on them. Moon and stars are a very popular symbol but sometimes a child prefers a car or a pony. Cutting accidents are quite frequent during those carving hours because the utensils used have to be quite sharp. However, I have never heard of any serious injury due to turnip carving. Afterwards, three strings are attached to the turnips, a candle put inside and the lantern is ready for use.

Cutting accidents are frequent

but real damage is very rare!

The schools together with the community government organise the actual annual turnips lantern march. On night in later November, the children gather at school with their lanterns, all decked out in warm jackets, hats and gloves. They get ready to sing their songs to the shine of their lanterns in the dark of the evening. For this purpose, the street lights are turned off in most parts of town while the kids walk through it in a long procession with their lanterns.

Typically, there is also a lot of singing involved. Songs such as "I walk with my lantern" have been part of the childhood of most Swiss adults. It is quite an experience for a child to walk through a dark town with only the light of the lanterns shining and I still find it rather beautiful as a grown up.

A short video of a Räbeliechtliumzug in Würenlos:

Are Halloween and Räbeliechtli-Umzug the same?

The short answer is quite obviously 'NO'. It's true that Halloween takes place around the same time the turnip lanterns are taken to the street for a walk and both holidays involve the carving of a vegetable but that's really where the similarities end. Although, Halloween with it's costumes and the parties and even trick-or-treating have made their way to Switzerland as well.

While I certainly believe every culture has it's share of interesting holidays and traditions I must admit don't really appreciate when a "foreign" holiday is imported to Switzerland - especially when it's mainly for money making reasons such as Halloween. Plus, from a Christian perspective, this holiday is not what we celebrate. I much prefer Thanksgiving or a harvest church service to this.

All this goes beyond saying that we Swiss also like a good pumpkin or squash dish. Pumpkin soup is quite popular here but only few people have tasted pumpkin pie - too bad, I think it's a delicious treat!

Räbeliechtli - by Natalie Kramer

Carving a Turnip instead of a Pumpkin

Thus, as people are carving their pumpkins around the world children in Switzerland will get ready to carve their turnips (and many crafty adults as well). True, the actual season for the Räbeliechtli (turnip lanterns) starts in November but I believe creating a beautiful lantern is fun even already in October or any time during the winter. As the days are quickly getting shorter who would say no to a little pretty light?!

How to carve a turnip or beetroot

Carving your own turnips is easy when you follow a few basic instructions and tips. Natalie over at schaeresteipapier put together this excellent guide for carving turnips (in German only). 

Once you've bought a decent sized turnips or turnip you cut off a lid, carve out the inside of it with a knife or spoon and then carve patterns or a design into its side. The challenge is always to make the walls of your Räbeliechtli thin enough to allow the light of a candle to filter to the outside through the carvings but thick enough so it will remain stable. From the leftovers you can then cook a yummy soup by adding onions, potatoes and other veggies!

If you're interested in giving it a try, here's also a short video of how to carve your turnip:

* This article was originally called "In the Light of Beetroot Lanterns" until (thankfully) someone pointed out my translation error and I corrected 'beetroot' with 'turnip'.


© 2011 IRENE WYRSCH "A HUMOROUS GUIDE TO SWITZERLAND" ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, UPDATED AND REPUBLISHED OCTOBER 2022