Switzerland carnival traditions take place during the one-week period from Dirty Thursday (“Schmutziger Donnerstag”) to Ash Wednesday. Since Ash Wednesday is 40 days before Easter (not counting Sundays) and the date of Easter varies, carnival season is different every year.
During carnival, most everything is allowed - especially eating sugar and meat, drinking alcohol and celebrating. Switzerland’s carnival hotspots have elaborate parades featuring masked marching bands. Meanwhile, some small towns have more peculiar rituals.
Contrary to popular belief, the roots of Swiss carnival traditions are not based on Pagan rituals to chase away winter. (There are numerous traditions in Switzerland to chase away winter, however.) Instead, carnival has its roots in Christianity and the coming season of Lent.
An interesting note: during Reformation, many Swiss towns were forced to give up their carnival traditions as part of turning protestant. Basel is an exception as its military parades along with the Vogel Gryff ritual kept carnival alive.
Lucerne, on the other hand, stayed catholic; carnival remained an annual tradition. In Bern, where carnival had disappeared, the tradition has only returned in 1982.
#schweiz #zürich #bahnhofstrasse #downtown #limmat #lake #zurich #switzerland #walk #walking #stadt #city #tour #4k #travel #fasnacht #Suisse #swiss #svizzera #Szwajcaria #Suiza #İsviçre #Švýcarsko #zürichsee #oberriet #Zürih #storchen #lucerne #rheintal #stgallen #carnival #Gallen #StGallen