Hello mummy,
weekend was the northeastern Swiss Yodel Festival in the neighboring town. It was a great event with 4000 participants and about 45,000 visitors. I'm not sure, do you know yodel? It is somewhat difficult to explain, it is something like the Tarzan yell for the mountains. But before I offend anyone here, look better in Wikipedia.
I attended the parade on Sunday. 60 teams or choirs participated with festive floats.
I saw many women, men and children in beautiful traditional costumes.
Some distributed specialties from their home, others threw sweets into the audience. We had a lot to do with the pickup.
flag Wavers
musicians
herding dogs
old craft: Carriage maker.
These carriages are used to transport the hay off of steep slopes.
very old tractors
Musicians on horses
alphorns
This is the yodel choir of the old Swissair. Swissair there is no more, the yodel choir already.
This nice gentlemen distributed coffee with brandy. I was not allowed to drink.
And that is something very special. It is called "Schelle Schöttle" (bells shaking)
In Eastern Switzerland for the alp procession only the three leading cows wear huge bells made of welded sheet metal. The bells are valuable and on the way up, the herdsmen remove them from the cows in order to protect them. They are carried by the men on yokes over their shoulders.
This tradition, documented first in 1838, may have led to the so-called bell-shaking, a musical practice which was observed first in the middle of the 19th century. The Appenzellers shake the bells for fun, much in the way that other play cards. But often the bells are moved forwards and backwards to accompany the improvised polyphonic yodel vocalising.
Here you see me at the bus station on our way home.
This is our prey.
I had a wonderful day and learned a lot about Swiss traditions.
Bye mum
GiGi