*****

Ute Limacher has recently published a series of excellent articles on Switzerland, its different cantons, languages and history. To add another perspective to these, I have been asked to write down some thoughts and experiences on this country I call ‘home’ since over 6 years now. Exactly as Ute herself, I have also been living between and in different cultures since early childhood, thus identifying myself with various cultural groups and sets of behaviors.

I would like to take this particular opportunity to write about something that from my perspective and seen through my intercultural communication glasses is quite interesting and astonishing: the “Röstigraben”. Actually, as you have learned from Ute already, there are 4 main languages spoken in Switzerland and the so-called “Röstigraben”, which is a rather informal term, actually defines the “divide” between the Swiss German speakers and the French speakers.

I myself was actually lucky enough to have experienced these two different sides of Switzerland, having lived in Zurich as well as in the Romandy in Lausanne. If you speak French and you have a couple of spare moments, you should listen to Marie-Thérèse Porchet’s geography lesson. Not only is it hilarious, but it will also give you a better feel and understanding of what it is like to live in Switzerland and where the differences lie.

At first, when I arrived in Switzerland I thought it was funny to give a name to something rather fictive such as the imagined ‘border’ between cultural differences. Especially for me, who grew up in Belgium with its three official languages and where to my knowledge no such terminology exists, it had never occurred that it could actually have a name and would be very distinct. The truth is that you learn quite quickly that there really is a “Graben” (or trench, ditch in English). You just have to search the Internet to find many different articles on the subject.

If you are living in Switzerland, you can also hop in the train in any French speaking town, like Lausanne for example and travel towards Bern (or the other way round of course). Whereas you will see French newspapers on the seat and hear mostly French in all the wagons, suddenly and subtly this will change. Newspapers left over are now German and people speak Swiss German. Every time I take the train this strikes me, maybe because I speak the different languages but maybe also because it kind of happens all of the sudden; there is no real mix of languages and people as it would be like in Belgium before one or the other language dominates the atmosphere. It simply goes from French to German or from German to French.

Interestingly, it also appears to be very difficult for people to jump over the “Röstigraben” to visit friends, go on holidays or simply spend time. I have to admit that many acquaintances I used to see when living in Zurich, I don’t see anymore on a regular basis just because I now live in a French speaking canton. You would think that 250 Km is not far, but from a cultural standpoint it actually makes a major difference.

In my professional life, I have even heard people say that they did a “semester abroad” while studying. What they really meant here was that they simply went to the other side of Switzerland to study. How interesting is that?!

I personally think that these differences are very enriching and see a great benefit in being able to switch from one language to the other and from one culture to the other in the same country. Maybe this also gives a good idea of what it is like to live in Europe, where all of the cultures, languages etc. co-exist on a rather small continent (compared to others) without borders and mainly with a common currency. Food for thought! Jenny

[©LECLERC, Jacques, La frontière linguistique en Suisse, Québec, TLFQ, Université Laval, 4 avril 2013, [http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/europe/suisse_front-lng.htm]]

Related articles

• The Swiss German (expatsincebirth.com)
• The “Suisse romand” (expatsincebirth.com)
• Multilingual Switzerland (expatsincebirth.com)

[Beschreibung: Sechseläuten 2005, Verbrennung des Böögg; fotografiert am 18. April 2005: Fotograf Daniel Appel; © wikimedia]

The Böögg is the German term for bogey and is in origin a scary-looking ragdoll. We can find this tradition in many places, not only in Switzerland. The Böögg was a masked character doing mischief and frightening children during the carnival season. Originally, the burning of the Böögg in Spring was not directly connected to the Sechseläuten.

Sechseläuten has his roots in the medieval times, when the first day of summer working hours was celebrated in the guidhalls (Zunfthäuser) across the city. Back then, city ordinances regulated the length of the working day and during the winter semester the workday lasted as long as there was daylight. The summer semester started on the first Monday following the vernal equinox and “the law proclaimed that work must cease when the church bells tolled at six o’clock (6 p.m.) the time of sunset on vernal equinox”. – This is where the name “Sechseläuten” comes from: the six o’clock ringing of the bells. The bells are those of the Fraumünster. This change to summer working hours was a joyous occasion because it marked the beginning of the season where people had some non-working daylight hours.

Only since 1902 Sechseläuten and the burning of the Böögg are combined in one celebration. From 1902 until 1951, Sechseläuten was held on the first Monday after the vernal equinox, but since 1952 it is held on the third Monday of April and because of the summer time introduced in Switzerland in 1981, the lighting of the Böögg’s pyre has moved to several hours before nightfall.

The same day takes place a very colorful afternoon parade of the 26 guilds in their historic dress costumes. Each has his own band and most with a mounted “Reitergruppe” and horse drawn floats. They all arrive at the Sechseläutenplatz (Bellevue place) where the Böögg is burned. Several mounted units of the guilds will gallop three times around the Böögg.

The time between the lighting of the pyre and the explosion of the Böögg’s head indicates how the coming summer will be: a quick explosion promises a warm, sunny summer, a drawn-out burning a cold and rainy one.

“The shortest time on record is 5:07 minutes in 1974, and the longest in 2001 with 26:23. The 2007 explosion of the Böögg`s head (on 16 April 2007) took place 12:09 minutes after the pyre was lit, promising a medium warm summer. On 14 April 2008, heavy rains soaked the Böögg and the wood pyre materials so much that “firemen” (…) had to spray the pyre with kerosene or fuel oil after initial ignition in addition to 15 liters of fire accelerant which was initially thrown on the pyre. It took 26:01 minutes for the Bööggs head to explode which indicates a poor weather summer.” [cfr. wikipedia]

This rather late explosion promised a very poor summer and the fact that the head burned down very quietly instead of exploding, caused a lot of confusion. In 2012, it took the Böögg 12 minutes and 07 seconds to explode.

No women allowed?!

Unfortunately, Sechseläuten is a very sexist tradition since 1952: No women are allowed to participate in the parade of the guilds. Fact is, that in the 19th Century engarlanded girls, called Mareili, processed through the city whilst the boys carried the straw man that was going to be burnt. Therefore, objecting that the participation of women in the parade is against the tradition, is wrong.

Only in 2011 (!) a women’s guild “Gesellschaft zu Fraumünster” was allowed to participate. This was celebrated by the media as a very emancipatory sign (see for example this article). But very soon, the men of the other guilds did vote against women’s guilds at the Sechseläuten Parade, so we’re back in 1952… No women’s guild is allowed to the Parade at Sechseläuten this year. – As described by Evelyne in her post “Das Zürcher Sechseläuten – ein zutiefst sexistischer Brauch“, this fact is highly discriminating and embarassing for a city like Zurich in the 21rst Century…

[© wikipedia; Umritt am Sechseläuten 2007, by Fortunat Mueller-Maerk]

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