Skip to main content

Schwingen: Swiss Style Wrestling



The Swiss form of wrestling called 'Schwingen' has been part of Swiss culture for centuries. Competitions in Schwingen were first described in the 13th century and are still held throughout the year these days. Many Swiss practice this interesting sport and the national competitions are sure to draw a big crowd every year.

The important competitions of this sport are called 'Schwingfeste' or 'Schwinget' in Swiss German. This basically translates to 'Swiss wrestling festivals'. These can be regional, cantonal and national competitions with higher honors and prestige given to winners of the national events.

The most important Swiss wrestling competition is the Eidgenössische Schwing- und Älplerfest ('Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival') which takes place once every three years in changing locations. The champion of this festival receives a young bull and is crowned 'Schwingerkönig' ('Swiss wrestling king').

Other important competitions are the Unspunnen-Schwinget, Kilchberg-Schwinget and the Brünig-Schwinget. All of these festivals are held outdoors during the summer months in Switzerland. Most of these festivals also include Swiss folk music, yodel, folk dancing and other Swiss traditions.

How to Wrestle in Schwingen Style

What makes Schwingen different from other styles of wrestling? Swiss wrestling shares common elements to other forms of wrestling. One example: the aim of a Schwingen fight is to force the opponent on his back just like in other wrestling matches. Other rules, e.g. which body parts you're allowed to grab, push or pull, are probably slightly different. The official Swiss wrestling rule book can give more detailed insight into this matter.

The most obvious difference between Schwingen and other wrestling forms lies in what meets the eye. Instead of mats, Swiss wrestlers fight on a circular field that is filled with sawdust. Instead of wearing wrestling singlets, Schwinger wear normal clothes - jeans and a plaid shirt are common - and a special pair of baggy shorts made of jute over their pants. This short is one of the places the opponent is allowed to pull to bring his opponent to fall.
If you'd like to get a better understanding of Swiss wrestling, I recommend you check out this short documentary about Schwingen that swissinfo.ch produced. It which will give you an excellent overview over the sport, its rules and traditions.




Source:
Wikipedia site on Schwingen
swissinfo.ch

© 2011 IRENE WYRSCH "A HUMOROUS GUIDE TO SWITZERLAND" ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Labels:

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 5, 2011 at 1:03 PM

    I was there yesterday. I pretty much stumbled upon it. Pretty hilarious, but so entertaining! The crowds really got into it, and believe it or not, so did I!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

You have something to add or would like to ask a question? I would love to hear from you!

Popular posts from this blog

Schätzli, Schnüggel and Müüsli - Terms of Endearment in Swiss German

Kiss -  Oliver Haja  / pixelio.de If you've ever been invited to the home of a Swiss couple, you are probably familiar with the most popular Swiss German term of endearment "Schätzli" ('little treasure') or one of it's many varieties like e.g. "Schatz" or "Schätzeli" . Obviously, this is not the only pet name used by Swiss couples (or parents for that matter). Like many other languages, Swiss German offers a wide variety of words and phrases that you can use to address your loved one. Swiss German Terms of Endearment What most of these pet names have in common is the ending "-li" which basically turns the thing or person a word refers to into something small or cute. For example "Haus" means house and "Hüüs li " means small house. Plus, this ending "-li" can also be added to first names as a means of endearment, e.g. Benjamin li , Esther li or Fabienne li . I tried to come up with a colle
4 comments
Read more

How to Say 'I Love You' in Swiss German

To be completely honest, I'm not very fond of hallmark holidays and Valentine's Day is probably the mothership of them all. In my home there will be no cheesy cards or flowers on that day and, personally, I'm happy about it. However, I know that there are many people who like to celebrate Valentine's Day and take it as an opportunity to show their love and appreciation to their loves. Even in Switzerland, there are plenty of people celebrating it nowadays. If you're short on ideas for this years Valentine's Day in Switzerland you might find some inspiration here: Valentine's Day in Switzerland . If you're already set and have the perfect date ready, how about surprising your loved one with a few romantic Swiss German phrases? You should know that the expression "I love you" has only recently made its way into Swiss German from the High German "Ich liebe dich". Swiss people used to simply say "I like you" or "I like
3 comments
Read more

How to Spot a Swiss Person

"You're not from here, right?!" These were the words the saleslady of a small clothes store on a busy Tel Aviv street directed at me a few years ago. I was surprised she had spotted my foreignness so easily. After having lived in Israel for a few years and mastered the local Hebrew, I thought I was able to blend in quite well by then. So, I asked her how she knew. She replied with a smile and said: "You nicely folded the clothes you tried on before bringing them back out!" Oh that! Something I assumed was 'normal' but, apparently, the locals didn't do that. My Swiss background gave me away.  A Stereotypical (Swiss) Person As an expat I can usually spot fellow expats right away even if at first they seem to fit right in. Be they Swiss people I encounter abroad or foreigners living in Switzerland. Mostly, I catch a word or a phrase in a foreign language or see clothes or other items that are clearly not local. Here in South America it's very easy t
13 comments
Read more