GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The sun is struggling to come out across Switzerland after two weeks of cold and soggy weather, but the forecast promises it will be here for Monday 1 August. The weekend weather forecast is mixed, sun alternating with rain in most regions.
Early weekend traffic is not expected to be a major problem in most areas, with the holiday falling on a Monday.
Fireworks in some areas are held Sunday evening 31 July but in most towns the pyrotechnics and bonfires are scheduled for Monday. Check local municipal web sites for details (note: townname.ch will take you to most of these sites)
Geneva is giving advance warning of traffic changes starting Thursday 4 August for the huge Geneva Festival, with traffic on the Mont Blanc bridge reduced to two lanes, and closed entirely during the two weekends of the festival, which last year attracted 100,000 people.
- Switzerland’s national holiday explained (GenevaLunch 2010)
- Safety precautions for 1 August celebrations from the Swiss Safety Council
- Celebrate by biting into a very Swiss apple!
- up to the minute traffic details on the federal truck traffic site and TSR’s mobile services page (Fr)
The meaning of 1 August, Switzerland’s national day, and where people celebrate
Some Swissness - Photo Ellen Wallace
Swiss Alps near Leuk, canton Valais, morning of 1 August
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) Go back to 1291 for the source of this holiday that recalls a day in early August, over 700 years ago, when three independent republics signed a pact to protect each other.
The Letter of Alliance was signed by Uri, Schwyz and Unterwald (today Unterwald is formed by cantons Nidwalden and Obwalden.)
That initial agreement paved the road for 26 additional cantons, or federal states, to join what became the Swiss Confederation in 1848.
Forty-three years after the creation of the Confederation the Swiss celebrated for the first time, in Bern in 1891, the signing of the agreement.
It took another 149 years, and a public referendum, before it became a recognized federal holiday in 1994.
How the Swiss celebrate their national day
Fireworks Saturday night in Sierre, canton Valais
It is a “new holiday” and many traditions are still being formed, so celebrations are mostly organized at a local level without major national events.
The president of the Confederation or one of the members of the Federal Council generally participate in a celebration at the Ruetli meadow – called Gruetli in French and German – which is considered the birthplace of the Swiss Confederation (and a great place for hiking.)
Where to celebrate
The most complete listing of celebrations across Switzerland can be found on the Swiss National Tourist Office website. Many events are posted in English but you’ll find more results if you search in French or German.
The GenevaLunch events page also has information on where to see fireworks in cantons Geneva and Vaud, and our news page carries information on fireworks restrictions.
To learn more about the country, as part of your holiday celebrations, the federal web site ch.ch has a wealth of additional information and links to Swiss resources.
And, if you’re feeling weak on knowledge of Swiss politics, geography, culture and history, a new board game in English, Helvetiq, offers 312 question/answer cards to make you an expert. See our GenevaLunch review of the game.
Enjoy the holiday!
Fireworks, Sierre, Switzerland 31 July 2009
Sierre, Valais, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The population of mainly rural Swiss cantons such as Valais, where over the years people have migrated to urban areas to find work, swells during the 1 August holiday period. Two popular ways of celebrating are the local fireworks and bonfires the night of the 31st or 1st (communes choose which one they prefer) and breakfast the next morning with family, good Swiss bread and, in at least one case, freshly picked Valais raspberries.
Happy August 1 holiday!
Breakfast: brioche with Swiss cross and freshly picked Swiss Alps raspberries, 1 August 2009
Val d'anniviers, Valais, Switzerland (look for the cat's shadow)
Saint Prex, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Saturday 1 August is Switzerland’s national holiday, a time when the Swiss like to return to their families’ hometowns, and with fine weather forecast, expect trains, planes and roads to be busy starting Friday, as people take long weekends off work.
Tips for the Swiss holiday, road alerts, last-minute travel plans
Subtle with the Swiss flags
Expect fireworks
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Switzerland celebrates its National Day 1 August, a time when families tend to get together and the Swiss return to their “home” towns, which is not necessarily where they grew up, but the town where their family is registered.
Watch those fireworks
Expect bonfires and fireworks: some 1,700 tons of pyrotechnics are sold every year. Keep in mind the federal government’s recommendations to avoid these if you have cardiovascular or respiratory system problems because they sharply increase, for a short period, the fine dust particles in the air. And if you’re setting off fireworks, remember that they provoke serious stress for animals, Bern says, so don’t do it near them.
The annual August holiday provokes on average 250 accidents related to fireworks, and fires cause some CHF4 million in damage. Safety tips, Swiss Bureau for the Prevention of Accidents (Fre)
The bonfires are part of an old Swiss tradition, particularly in the Alps, where one village could warn another of impending attacks by lighting a bonfire, easily visible at a great distance.
Homeward bound, cheaply
The CFF rail company is offering a special “Homecoming days” deal to all Swiss to take the train for CHF15, 1 and 2 August, when they return to their place of origin, as it’s known. The deal is good between your home town and your place of residence, as they appear on a Swiss identity card or passport.
The meaning of 1 August, Switzerland’s National Day
Go back to 1291 for the source of this holiday that recalls a day in early August, over 700 years ago, when three independent republics signed a pact to protect each other. (Ed. note: if you’re feeling weak on knowledge of Swiss politics, geography, culture and history, a new board game in English will be launched 1 August, Helvetiq, offering 312 question/answer cards to make you an expert. See our GenevaLunch review of the game)
Title: Swiss National Day
Location: Switzerland
Link out: Click here
Description: Celebrations of the Swiss National Day are usually organized at the municipal or village level.
The most complete listing of celebrations across Switzerland can be found at the official website of the Swiss National Tourist Office. Many events are posted in English but you’ll find more events if you search in French or German.
Find out how the Swiss celebrate it and why in GenevaLunch’s news section.
Enjoy the holiday.
Date: 01 Aug 2009
Title: Swimming in Montreux
Location: Montreux, Vaud
Link out: Click here
Description: Celebrate the Swiss national holiday swimming in the sixth edition of the Montreux à la nage.
Date: 01 Aug 2009
Lake Geneva region, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - It’s a long weekend for most people in the region, thanks to 1 August, the Swiss national holiday falling on a Friday. Plenty of partying, picnicking and fireworks on offer, and GenevaLunch offers you a few suggestions before closing down until Tuesday 5 August: we’re taking a break, too. Enjoy!
Weather: sunshine and warm weather, up to 28-31C – with a few thunderstorms thrown in, most likely late afternoon. Don’t leave home without suncream and your umbrella.
Photo: copyright Athos99, reproduced with permission. Fetes de Geneve 2007.
Fireworks, bonfires and village fetes in the Lake Geneva region: Lausanne, Geneva and most towns in between and up the hillside celebrate either tonight, Thursday or Friday, the first. Rolle pulls in a good crowd each year.
Geneva
Nyon
Lausanne
An alternative is to take one of the CGN boat trips and view several the whole show from the water.
Fireworks and bonfires in Valais, from mountain peak villages: Chablais Radio has a good list, but don’t be confused by their mistake with the dates in the headline.
And just to see what it might be like to celebrate the holiday elsewhere, check out Swissinfo’s Swiss in California story.
Don’t forget the safety side: Lausanne offers, in French, several bits of advice and the Swiss Safety Bureau has sensible reminders.
