Sechseläuten

Every year in Zurich there is a traditional event called Sechseläuten which is meant to mark the beginning of spring. This year the event was held on Monday (April 16th). There is a parade with the old guilds of this region walking or riding horses or carriages in very traditional clothing. The parade goes on for a very long time because of so many participants (I think this year there were something like 3500 walkers!). The parade ends at a very open area by Lake Zurich where a huge bonfire type construction is built and an effigy of a snowman is placed on the top. The effigy is called Böögg. During the construction of the wooden Böögg, firecrackers are built into the head and tradition has it that the longer the head takes to explode the shorter the summer will be. This year it took 12 min 10 seconds for the head to burst off the top of Böögg (which I'm told is a long time...). This is all a very big thing…televised and all!!

Now this is a must see for anyone new in Zurich so of course I was there with the rest of the city and also my friends. Being the short person I am, I wasn’t actually able to see most of the excitement, but my friends took pictures so you can see what it looked like. Hope you enjoy…
After most of the excitement was over my friends and I claimed a spot by the lake to relax and enjoy some snacks and a nice bottle of wine…yes that’s me pouring the wine (good job with this pic Manda…). It was such a relaxing day and great to be a part of Zurich culture. If you’re ever in Switzerland when Sechseläuten is happening I highly suggest you attend…it’s not to be missed!!!

That’s all I have at the moment but I might be posting some good stuff on Monday after the excitement of my upcoming weekend…

Love you all…

LuLu