Alpfahrt in Urnäsch

Today I went to witness a very special tradition in Switzerland. I went to the village of Urnäsch, which is in the Appenzellerland area of the country, to see the farmers bring their cattle down from the summer alpine (mountain) grazing. This event is called Alpfahrt (mountain journey, roughly translated).

This is a tradition which dates back many centuries. I’m not sure how many because I can’t seem to find very many English translations talking about this experience. If you click on the link above it will give you a brief description of the event, only that one is from the spring perspective-when they take the cattle up the mountain for the summer. Also, if you click on this link you will get a few translations of different German words used on the other page. It’s all quite interesting.

I am told that before making their descent the farmers choose their most beautiful cow and it is chosen to lead the herd and wear the very big, and very beautiful, traditional bell. Most all of the farmers dress in time-honored attire and walk alongside their herd. The first farmer (and maybe others also, I don’t know…) is also accompanied by children who are herding the special Appenzeller goats which are hornless. There is also usually a wagon carrying the traditional cheese-making things behind the herd as well. And…there was, of course, the Appenzeller dog that accompanies every herd, keeping the cattle in line as they walked through the streets!

The day didn’t go as I’d expected it to, quite frankly. I’d thought others would join me, but they didn’t. I asked a few of my friends and all either had obligations or financial difficulties which wouldn’t allow them to go with me.

Secondly, it was a nice day when I left my house, though still a little bit chilly. I wore a long sleeve shirt and a light jacket…but, as the train grew nearer to Appenzellerland I began to notice the fog…not a good sign. A day might be perfectly lovely everywhere else, but when there is fog in a certain place it becomes gloomy and usually a good bit colder there! This was definitely the case…I ended up freezing, thought I might just shiver to death right there on the streets of Urnäsch! Because of this, and the fact that I was alone, I left just before lunch.

Lastly….I’d imagined the parade to be a continuous one. The brochure said it started at 10:30 so I arrived well ahead of time to find a good spot to see it…this was not at all necessary. I thought it would be much like a parade at home…no, not throwing candy and political candidates riding on the back of convertibles…but something of a steady flow. The way it actually happened was this: the first farmer would arrive with his cattle and pass through the village, a little later (maybe 25 min, in this case…) another one would come through…then another a little after that. There wasn’t any rhyme or reason to it, as I should have expected…it’s not like they’d all get together at the bottom of the mountain and then start off together again, now would they?!?

So, the Alpfahrt, as I now see it, is a day where the villagers (and some tourists, like me) come to the town to welcome the cattle from the summer grazing. It’s a time of leisure where people sit at the outdoor cafes and enjoy a coffee or sandwich and wait for the next herd. There is also a market set up for buying local wares and traditional foods. It’s a day of seeing your neighbor and enjoying something time-honored by the Swiss people.

Something to be witnessed definitely! I enjoyed seeing all the people in traditional clothing and all the frills brought out by the community for this occasion. If you are in Switzerland during the time of Alpfahren (whether spring or fall) I highly suggest you see it...

Also, my host family bought me a going away gift…It’s a new camera!! I was so happy for it, the old one, while it worked just fine, was a dinosaur. This is the most amazing camera…I’ve added some pics to this post taken with my new camera…hope you enjoy!!!

LuLu