Switzerland: Facts & Stats

CULTURE

Traditions:

Switzerland is in the highly unusual situation of being the home of three of Europe's major languages, but apart from Rumanstch - spoken by only 0.5% of the population - it has no written language of its own. Whichever language group they belong to, the different Swiss communities have linguistic and cultural ties with one of their larger neighbours. It's easier for someone from Geneva to speak to a Parisian than to a fellow Swiss from Bern, or for a native of Ticino to read Milan's Corriere della Sera than the Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

The language communities eat different things and have different traditions and customs. Even their shared history only goes back about two centuries. Before the Napoleonic invasion of 1798, some of the cantons even ruled other parts of Switzerland. The inhabitants of what is now Canton Vaud, for example, were the subjects of Bern, and did not enjoy the same rights as the Bernese.

The Swiss themselves are sometimes puzzled about what they have in common apart from their passport, what it is that makes them Swiss. The Swiss say they are held together by the desire to stay united. The general attitude is summed up in the formula "unity, but not uniformity."

Celebrations:

Switzerland is a land where tradition and modernity come together. While the eclectic cities of Switzerland and the modern fairs and events of Switzerland showcase the modern Switzerland, the festivals of Switzerland, celebrated with much fervor, evoke the warm, nostalgic feelings associated with Easter bunnies and the Santa Claus. Switzerland Hub takes you on a tour of the festivals of Switzerland, as you join in the celebrations and enjoy the warm welcome given to guests.

Christmas (25th December)
Since Switzerland is a Christian majority country, Christmas has special significance here. Carols are sung, and plum puddings are baked, stockings are stuffed for unsuspecting children by their parents, and the bitterly cold winter landscape is transformed into a snowy wonderland. The Klausjagen, or chase of the St. Nicholas, is one of the more endearing Swiss customs associated with Christmas.

Epiphany (6th January)
Epiphany celebrates the visit of the Three Kings to Baby Jesus. Singers dressed as the three kings visit the houses in their locality, carrying the symbolic star of Bethlehem and singing carols. Valais sees an elaborate parade on this day, complete with "kings" and "jesters".

Von Gryff (13th/ 20th/ 27th January)
Von Gryff is celebrated in Kleinbasel, in Basel canton of Switzerland. This Swiss Festival is filled with color and joie de vivre, characterized by the parade of the traditional characters of Vogel Gryff (griffin), Wild Man and Leu (lion).

Harvest Festivals
Each canton celebrated this festival of Switzerland in a different manner. While Fribourg holds a feast, Charmey celebrates the harvest season by holding cart-racing competitions. Other cantons celebrate by showering confetti, selling decorated onions, or many other ways that are uniquely Swiss.

National Day (1st August)
Perhaps the Swiss National Day is the earliest National Day to be celebrated by any country in the world. Dating back to 1291, the National Day is celebrated with bonfires, barbeques and general merriment.

Carnival
Once you visit the carnivals of Switzerland, you will see a side to the Swiss that is completely different from the workaholic, staid image they project. Costumes, floats, bands, buggies- this festival of Switzerland is a riot of colors and sounds.

Wine Festival (September)
Held once every 25 years, the Wine Festival of Switzerland honors the wine growing industry. The Greek God of wine and other Bacchanalian pleasures is honored, and floats depicting flowers and woods are taken out in a street parade.

Alcohol:

The most popular alcoholic drink in Switzerland is wine, which in 2005 accounted for exactly half the alcohol purchased. Beer accounted for nearly one third. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the Swiss Germans who drink the most beer, but the Italian speakers.

Switzerland, like other European countries, is concerned by the phenomenon of youth drinking. However, although in 2006 a quarter of 15 year-old boys and a sixth of girls said they drank at least one alcoholic drink every week, the figure was considerably lower than in a similar survey conducted in 2002. It is still high given that wine, beer and cider cannot legally be sold to under-16s, and spirits cannot be sold to under-18s. However, the overwhelming majority of under-age drinkers say they have no problem in buying beer, and not much more difficulty in buying spirits.

Sports and Hobbies:

Skiing and mountaineering are much practiced by Swiss people and foreigners, the highest summits attract mountaineers from around the world. The Haute Route or the Patrouille des Glaciers race have international reputation.

Like many other Europeans, many Swiss are fans of football and the national team or 'Nati' is widely supported. Switzerland was also the joint venue with Austria in the Euro 2008 football tournament, although the Swiss team dropped out before the Quarter Finals. The Swiss Beach Soccer Team on the other hand became runner-up in 2008 and in 2005 they won the Euro Beach Soccer Cup.

Many Swiss also follow ice hockey and support one of the 12 clubs in the League A. In April 2009, Switzerland hosted the 2009 IIHF World Championship for the 10th time. The Swiss team's latest achievement in ice hockey is the 1953 bronze medal. Switzerland is also the home of the sailing team Alinghi which won the America's Cup in 2003 and defended the title in 2007.

Curling has been a very popular winter sport for more than 30 years. The Swiss teams have won 3 World Men's Curling Championships and 2 Women's titles. The Swiss men's team skipped by Dominic Andres won a gold medal at 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.

Golf is becoming increasingly popular, with already more than 35 courses available and more in planning.

Over the last few years several Swiss tennis players, like Roger Federer and Martina Hingis, have been multiple Grand Slam singles champions. One of the world's best current ice skaters is Swiss Stéphane Lambiel. André Bossert is successful Swiss professional golfer.

Other sports where the Swiss have been successful include fencing (Marcel Fischer), cycling (Fabian Cancellara), whitewater slalom (Ronnie Dürrenmatt—canoe, Mathias Röthenmund—kayak), ice hockey (Swiss National League), beach volleyball (Sascha Heyer, Markus Egger, Paul and Martin Laciga), and skiing, (Bernhard Russi, Pirmin Zurbriggen, Didier Cuche).

Motorsport racecourses and events were banned in Switzerland following the 1955 Le Mans disaster with exception to events such as Hillclimbing. However, this ban was overturned in June 2007. During this period, the country still produced successful racing drivers such as Clay Regazzoni, Jo Siffert and successful World Touring Car Championship driver Alain Menu. Switzerland also won the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in 2007-08 with driver Neel Jani. Swiss motorcycle racer Thomas Lüthi won the 2005 MotoGP World Championship in the 125cc category.

High profile drivers from Formula One and World Rally Championship such as Michael Schumacher, Nick Heidfeld, Kimi Räikkönen, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Sébastien Loeb all have a residence in Switzerland, albeit sometimes for tax purposes.

Traditional sports include Swiss wrestling or "Schwingen". It is an old tradition from the rural central cantons and considered the national sport by some. Hornussen is another indigenous Swiss sport, which is like a cross between baseball and golf. Steinstossen is the Swiss variant of stone put, a competition in throwing a heavy stone. Practiced only among the alpine population since prehistoric times, it is recorded to have taken place in Basel in the 13th century. It is also central to the Unspunnenfest, first held in 1805, with its symbol the 83.5 kg stone named Unspunnenstein.

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