We just finished celebrating one of Zurich's most popular festivals - Sechseläuten. The name Sechseläuten means ringing of the six'o clock bell. Dating back to the 14th century, the church bells were used to announce the working hours. In winter, with dusk coming early, the craftsmen had to stop working at 5 p.m., in summer they used to work until 6 p.m. So, Sechseläuten festivities basically celebrate the spring equinox. The festival starts with a children's parade with all of the kids dressed in historical customs. This is one of Lukas' favorite parades since all of the kids throw candy and there are tons of horses in the parade too.
The next day is the guild parade (only men in historical costumes & lots of bands) - kind of boring in my opinion. BUT... the parade ends at a square on the shore of Lake Zurich where the Böögg, or giant snowman, is placed. The Böögg is made of wood & cotton and stuffed with explosives- yes - explosives. At precisely 6p.m. he is lit on fire - the sooner his head blows off - the sooner that the long-awaited springtime should arrive. Kind of the Swiss version of Groundhog's Day. This year it took over 26 minutes for his head to blow off....pretty long compared to other years.....ugh...more winter.
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