A Humorous Guide to Switzerland

In a few weeks it's happening again. On Monday April 14th 2023 , the inner city of Zurich will be closed off for any traffic for the annual Sechseläuten . What annoys car drivers and people doing business in the city center is the joy of anyone working or going to school in Zurich or a neighboring town simply because they get an additional free day (or free half-a-day) to enjoy the festivities. But what on earth is this mysterious Sechseläuten and why do only the people of Zurich celebrate it? A why is there a big large snowman and a huge bonfire involved in all this? the Böögg What is Sechseläuten? Sechseläuten is a spring holiday unique to the city of Zurich . The rest of Switzerland and even most towns and places in the canton of Zurich do not celebrate this holiday and no one gets time off to go and participate. It is really a holiday that belongs to the city in a sense that it has its roots in the medieval city structure with guilds and other communities even though i...

April April! - Claudia Hautumm  / pixelio.de As a child I was always looking forward to the months of March and April. March because my birthday was coming up and April because some real mischievous fun was coming up on April Fools Day . April Fools Day or April 1st is an unofficial national holiday in Switzerland where everyone tries to outdo the others with the best prank. This includes school children, parents and even most national newspapers. It's always fun to check different news stations for their April Fools Fake News. As with most holidays where children are usually the ones who enjoy them most, April Fools Day in Switzerland is a feast mainly for its underage population. Doing something silly and then shouting " April April " is just the best! Looking back to my own childhood, there is one April 1st prank that stands out. I was in 3rd grade and the whole class conspired together to create the perfect scare for our (poor) teacher. The Perfect Apr...

Pocket Böögg - www.pocket-böögg.ch This coming weekend Zurich will celebrate Sechseläuten , the annual spring festival.  The highlight of the festivities comes at the very end: a giant snowman called "Böögg" is burnt on a stake in the very center of the city. The longer it takes for the Bööggs head to explode (it's got large firecrackers in there), the colder and wetter the summer will be. For those who would like some Sechseläuten atmosphere at home as well, there is now the Pocket Böögg . It is a small version of the real Böögg or better: a do-it-yourself Böögg since it arrives unassembled in a box. There are two available sizes: original (34cm) and mini (21cm). Both Pocket Böögg sets include firecrackers for the Bööggs head (so it'll actually explode with a bang) and a small stake. The idea of a miniature Böögg is interesting. What makes this project even better is the fact that all Pocket Böögg are produced by mentally handicapped people in the workshops ...

Flower for Mother's Day - Rainer Sturm  / pixelio.de Mother's Day. Other than  Valentine's Day , I cannot think of another holiday that has hallmark written all over it like Mother's Day. Shops are full of Mother's Day promotions and school kids are crafting little gifts for their moms. Florists are especially happy since many grown up children will bring their mothers a nice bouquet or have it delivered. Mother's Day in Switzerland Switzerland adopted this American holiday in 1930 mainly because of a strong  lobbying effort by the local florist unions  but also had a strong Christian support through the Salvation Army that advocated this day to honor the mothers. Like in most countries around the world, Mother's Day in Switzerland is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. Essentially, Mother's Day in Switzerland is probably pretty much the same as in other countries , I don't know of any uniquely Swiss traditions on this day. Unless y...

Spring in Switzerland is an interesting season. Some years we get lucky and live through months of beautiful sunshine, blooming flowers and trees and just a few rain showers. Other years we are not as lucky and most spring days are cold, gray and rainy. This year - as in most years - it seems to be a mixture of both. But even if spring at times seems gray, there's always the hope for a good summer! Spring Season in Switzerland However, there are also some highlights to look forward to this spring in Switzerland: April Fools Day :  when Swiss children (and even serious Swiss newspapers) tell made up stories. Will you fall into the trap or can you spot the lie? Easter : fun holiday that Swiss people spend eating lots of chocolate bunnies and eggs. If you want to be more creative you could try to bake your own version of Easter Bunnies . Don't forget to brush up on your Easter vocabulary with this Easter dictionary as well! Sechseläuten :  this Zurich spring festival in ...

Zurich's famous spring festival ' Sechseläuten ' is a good example of popular culture and traditions trying to predict the weather. Much like ' Groundhog Day ' in the US and Canada where time is measured until the groundhog appears, the people of Zurich measure the time it takes for the head of an artificial snowman called 'Böögg' to explode. The faster it explodes the better the summer - at least according to tradition. Alternative Methods of Meteorology in Switzerland This way of "predicting" the weather is just one of many traditional (or alternative) methods of meteorology found in Switzerland. Another good example for this are the ' Innerschwyzer Meterologen' also called 'Muotothaler Wetterschmöcker ' , a group of weather prophets who try to predict the weather through nature. The term 'Wetterschmöcker' means ' weather taster ' and possibly refers to one of the (secret) methods they use to predict the seasons...

Please pick the an answer: The weather in the last few weeks has been: bad very bad crappy gray not at all spring like cold sad awesome sunny and warm If you picked "8" then you're probably not living in Switzerland - especially not anywhere near Zurich! When the days are endlessly gray Honestly, I shouldn't be the one to complain about the cold and gray weather here in Zurich. I luckily spent most of the winter months in summery New Zealand. Nevertheless, it does bother me to wake up to a gray day every morning and wait for the never coming sunshine every day. The high fog simply covers the whole sky and won't allow for a single fleck of blue sky. People around me throw me sentences like "If only the sun would shine then the cold would be bearable" or " I might get winter depression in April - odd! ". I totally agree and am hoping for spring weather soon. Not everyone can take a day off to spend some time above the sea of fog !...

Easter is just around the corner. Whether you plan to go to church on Easter Sunday or plan to just hide a few Easter Eggs, it is high time to freshen up on your Swiss German Easter skills.  You can consult my (non conclusive) list of Swiss German Easter terms and expressions for a start. Swiss German Words for the Easter season Bibeli (chick) Chrüzigung (crucifiction) Ei (egg) Eili (small egg) Eier färbe (to color eggs, e.g. by cooking them in dye or drawing on them) Eiertätsch (egg bump, i.e. an Easter game involving eggs) Eier sueche (to look for the eggs) Oschtere (Easter) Oschtereili (Easter egg) Oschterhaas (Easter bunny) Oschterhäsli (little Easter bunny) Oschtermäntig (Easter Monday, a national holiday) Oschternäschtli (Easter nest, i.e. the little basket you put the eggs and bunnies in) Oschtersunngi (Easter Sunday) Karfriitig (Good Friday) Marzipaneili (marzipan eggs) Schoggihaas ( chocolate bunny) Uferstehig (ressurection) Zuckereili (sugar e...

Easter will be here very soon. There is no way you can miss it. Shops and supermarkets are full of Easter related goodies and decorations in the shape of eggs and bunnies. I like chocolate and I love marzipan but sometimes Easter can be a bit too sweet . As it is, many chocolate bunnies and caramel eggs end up in the disposal bin rather than in a hungry mouth due to the over-abundance of Easter sweets. Instead of wasting precious Swiss Francs on mediocre chocolate (the one exception in my humble opinion being the Lindt Goldhase ) I decided to create my own Easter bunny. For this purpose I adapted  the recipe for a traditional Swiss Christmas treat, the Grittibänz . It's a human shaped sweet bread very similar to the braided Zopf bread  but a bit sweeter and of course smaller. However, instead of baking a Santa Claus shaped bread roll, I decided to try my hand on baking a bunny shaped bread roll . You may call the result Zopfhäsli  (which basically means  Zopf i...

Alright. Fondue doesn't seem to be a warm weather dish. In winter it's nice and cozy to have the pot of cheese on your table heating up the room and filling everything with the smell of cheese. However, eating hot sticky cheese on bread may not seem very appealing if its hot outside. At least, that's what you probably think. Why Fondue also works in the Summer There is a small and friendly restaurant in Zurich that might be able to convince you otherwise. The Chäsalp is located on a hill outside of Zurich and its guests sit outside at large wooden tables with a great view of the surrounding hills (and the Mazoala hall of Zurich Zoo amongst other things). Pillows and woolen blankets assure comfort in this rustic Swiss atmosphere. With cowbells sounding in the background one generally has the impression of being near a cottage somewhere in the Alps rather than being 15 minutes outside of Zurich. Chäasalp outside tables 20 Types of Fondue in one Place In consi...

We have a saying that goes 'April, April, macht was er will' which basically means 'April, April, does how he pleases'. This popular saying pretty much summarizes the sudden changes in weather conditions in Switzerland that can take place in April . Indeed, April has had its moods also this year. It's the Easter weekend and most everyone hoped for good weather. These hopes were not unjustified since this spring has been amazingly sunny with record hours of sunshine in March. However, the Easter weekend had its own mind. Instead of sun and warmth we got rain, fog, clouds and SNOW. Snow covered rose - Sabine Ullmann  / pixelio.de The Ice Saints As a rule of thumb snow and frost in most parts of Switzerland are possible till the end of April or beginning of May. The so-called Ice Saints or Frost Saints ('Eisheiligen' in German) are five saints days in the middle of May that - according to popular belief and tradition - have an increased likelihood of...

Every year on April Fools Day, people in Switzerland play pranks on each other. We did this as children and still do it as adults. Also, most Swiss newspapers, radio stations and TV stations allow themselves a little April Fools prank. Much like the famous broadcast about spaghetti growing on trees in Switzerland and Italy  by BBC in 1957, the Swiss insert little made up news stories every on April 1st into their regular programs. When Fake News is to be expected In the last years those fake news stories included e.g. a story about the canton of Appenzell distributing money to its citizens, one about communities in the canton of Thurgau suing the Circus Knie for not giving more performances in their canton, and a story about a chapel wagon for prayer that was added to each train of the Rhätische Bahn. Swiss Radio DRS let their listeners vote on the best pranks of the year. An April Fools Day Riddle Now, I know I am not a newspaper and I cannot as easily hide an untruth in...

Spring has finally arrived in Switzerland . The last few days have been warm and sunny and nature has quickly reacted to the change in weather. In spring time , the leaves on trees are springing and early flowers blooming. On a stroll around town I stumbled upon some of the most common Swiss spring flowers and captured them with my camera. Enjoy! "Primel" aka Primroses "Blaue Krokus" aka Blue Crocus "Gelbe Krokus" aka Yellow Crocus "Gänseblümchen" aka Daisy © 2012 IRENE WYRSCH "A HUMOROUS GUIDE TO SWITZERLAND" ALL RIGHTS RESERVED