18 | April | 2012 | schwingeninswitzerland

We joke about burning a couch when something good happens (like Michigan State winning the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament). It’s not out of the realm of possibility. Apparently Zurich, Switzerland feels the same way. They celebrate Sechseläuten. To celebrate the arrival of spring in Switzerland, they burn the winter in effigy (in the form of the Böögg, a figure of a snowman filled with explosives representing old man winter).

Sorry Mr. Snowman, but let’s face it temperatures have been getting warmer and you weren’t long for this world anyway. – From 20 Minutes

Sechseläuten is kind of like Groundhog’s Day. The time between the lighting of the pyre and the explosion of the Böögg`s head predicts the summer weather. A quick explosion means a warm, sunny summer. A long, drawn-out burning means a cold and rainy one. Even though Switzerland is known as a winter wonderland and ski mecca, locals (including us) hope for its quick end. Earlier this week, Zurich burned the Böögg.

Not so frosty now are you Frosty? – From 20 Minutes

In medieval times, when the first day of summer working hours was celebrated in the guildhalls because during the summer work was required to stop when the church bells tolled at six. The rest of the year, they worked until dark. Who doesn’t celebrate some non-working daylight hours?

From 20 Minutes

Itinerary for Sechseläuten:

Sunday before Sechseläuten – children’s parade in historic and folkloristic costumes
Afternoon of Sechseläuten – parade of the 26 guilds (over 7,000) in their historic dress costumes, each with its own band, most with a sizable mounted ‘Reitergruppe’, and horse-drawn floats
Post-parade – ceremonial galloping of the mounted units of the guilds around the bonfire
6:00 p.m. – burn the winter in effigy (in the form of the Böögg, a figure of a snowman filled with explosives representing old man winter)
Post-Burning – dinner banquets for the guildmembers (and their lucky guests)
Night – delegations visit other guilds in their guildhalls to exchange greetings, toasts, witticisms and gifts

The summer should be hot, if one believes the time the Booge of Sechseläuten took before exploding on the funeral pile in Zurich: 12 minutes and 7 seconds. The myth is that the faster the head of the snowman explodes, the hotter this summer will be. The average of the last ten years was around 14 minutes. In 2008, 26 minutes was necessary. – From 20 Minutes

What’s a holiday without a family spat?

The holiday is often within a week of May Day, a working class holiday. Sechseläuten seems to be a rather posh, upper class affair. The proximity of these has led to various, ahem, issues. In 2006, the Böögg was kidnapped. Now, they keep spares… just in case.

Les Incompetents Vol. 9 – Whimps In An Alpine Snowstorm (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)
Thun, Worth Making A Stop On The Way To Interlaken (schwingeninswitzerland.wordpress.com)

We’d passed by Thun, before. It’s on the way to Interlaken and we’d heard there was a castle there. We’d just never stopped to see it. Last weekend was a long weekend so we weren’t on as much of a schedule. Someone at his work told him that the town merited a stop and a stroll. They were right.

The most important things to know about Thun are:

It is located on the Aare River at the lower end of Lake Thun.
The historic Old Town and the newer cafes and restaurants on the river are pretty freaking cute.
Of course it has a castle because no self-respecting cute Swiss town would be could dead without one.
The distance between the aforementioned castle is short, but very steep. Welcome to the Bernese Oberland.

It sounds nice, but is pretty standard for Switzerland.

We found Thun to be unique with interesting features that make it one of the better Swiss towns.

The main shopping thoroughfare boasts terraced sidewalks built on the roofs of the stores’ first floors. You can stroll the upper level or climb down stone stairs to visit the “sunken” street-level shops.