Swiss Christmas Carnivals

Swiss Christmas Carnivals

Formal Dresses

If you wish to experience a real snow Christmas then there is no place like Switzerland.  The Swiss believe in maintaining traditions. You'll hardly come across a drawing room where there is an artificial X Mas tree. The Swiss regardless of which part of Switzerland you travel to always keep natural evergreen firs. This inspite of the fact that real trees when kept in warmer temperatures inside homes tend to loose needles!
Open air markets mushroom all over Switzerland. It is a custom for children to dress up and visit all homes in the neighbourhood. Villages in remote areas organize large-scale celebrations. In fact villagers compete with each other to invite maximum people for the midnight mass. Carnivals fairs and festivities begin as early as November and go till the first week of January.

Formal Dresses

So if you are planning to spend your winter vacation in an exotic setting, there is nothing like a glittering snow-filled Swiss Christmas! Some Swiss Christmas carnivals and games are very famous.

SamichlausAbend

Festivities in different parts of Switzerland begin officially on December 6 – that is the Santa Claus Night or as the Swiss call it SamichlausAbend. Interestingly most villages have their own unique traditions that are different from the outside world. Santa generally walks down the village streets and distributes nuts, cookies, chocolates and gifts to kids.

One special tradition associated with SamichlausAbend takes place on the main streets of Zurich. Father Christmas dressed in all his finery and sack of goodies parades the streets followed by a procession of teenaged boys and girls; most of whom are dressed in white clothes. Some of them wear elaborate headgear with candle stands. They actually balance lit candles with silken scarves attached to these intricately designed caps. The young people who play the part are called ‘Klauses'. They carry musical instruments like bells, toot horns and trumpets. While their headgears glow with brightly lit candles they blow and play these instruments while parading the streets. The idea is to drive away evil spirits.
Similar processions are taken out in other parts of Switzerland as well. Mostly young boys and girls carry bag full of goodies and ring every bell in the neighbourhood for contributions for the community feast.

Most of these customs have two things in common candle lights and making noise with musical instruments, drums and cow bells. These have root in Pagan traditions when the primitive man used these methods to drive away miscreants and so called evil spirits.

HeiligerAbend

Christmas Eve is one of the greatest festivals celebrated across Switzerland but the one custom that is observed in every Christian community is that of the Christkindli. This basically consists of a procession of little girls dresses in white and glittering jewels that visits each home in the community. The group comes to a house sings carols and distributes cookies, apples and sweets. Only then does the household switch on Christmas lights on the X Mas tree. Likewise the procession visits each home in the community.

Formal Dresses

In certain areas the Christmas tree is kept inside closed doors. In fact the decorations are done secretly so that the neighbors don't come to know the theme. The trees are set for display only after the Christkindli visit. Swiss still maintain the tradition of hanging real polished apples as tree decorations. Somehow it is considered as very auspicious. Presents for family and friends are prepared months in advance. In fact Christmas baking begins as early as October in most households.

Christmas Eve celebrations begin with the elders and children sitting around a fire or the Christmas tree to listen to the Nativity tale. Once the story is over people start unwrapping presents and eat snacks while they get ready for the midnight mass in the local Church.