Sechseläuten (Zurich German: Sächsilüüte, "The ringing of the bells at six o'clock") is a traditional spring festival in the Swiss city of Zurich celebrated in its current form, usually on the 3rd Monday in April, since the beginning of the 20th century .
Sechseläuten, Zurich's six o'clock strike
After the parade of the Zünfte (guilds), the highlight of the festival is the burning of winter in effigy, in the form of the Böögg, a snowman figure prepared with explosives. The custom of burning a rag doll called Böögg predates the Sechseläuten. A Böögg (related to bogey) was originally a masked character getting into mischief and scaring children during the carnival season.
The roots of the festival date back to medieval times when the first day of summer working hours was celebrated in the city's guild halls. Municipal ordinances strictly regulated the length of the working day at that time.
During the winter semester the working day in all workshops lasted as long as there was daylight, but during the summer semester (i.e. from the Monday following the vernal equinox), the law proclaimed that work must cease when the bells of the
Sechseläuten is a Swiss German word that literally translates to “The ringing of the bells at six o’clock”. The transition to summer working hours was traditionally a joyous occasion because it marked the start of the season when people had non-working daylight hours.
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Today, the Swiss celebrate Sechseläuten (the six o'clock bell). The main event of the festival is, at 6 p.m., the cremation at the stake of an effigy of Winter called the Böögg or Snowman Winter. #mythology #myth #legend #calendar #April #sechselauten #suisse #zurich
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