Join me on a Monday afternoon #stroll through Zurich from Sechseläutenplatz to Bahnhofstrasse on Sechseläuten as we pass many of the festival participants in their traditional costumes as they prepare for the parade that will take place later in the day.
Sechseläuten (literally "The six o'clock ringing of the bells") is a traditional spring holiday in Zürich, whose origins date back to medieval times when the first day of summer working hours was celebrated in the guildhalls across the city. City ordinances strictly regulated the length of the working day in that era and during the winter semester the workday in all workshops lasted as long as there was daylight, but during the summer semester, the law proclaimed that work must cease when the church bells tolled at six o'clock.
Initially, the holiday was just celebrated with a parade, but the present celebration cumulates with the burning of the Böögg (Swiss German term for "bogey" - scary-looking ragdolls). Burnings of Böögg figures in spring are detailed in various places of the city from the late 18th and early 19th century, without direct connection to the Sechseläuten.
We start our stroll on on Sechseläutenplatz, looking across the square towards the Böögg siting atop the tower, awaiting the burning later in the day.
Turning around, we pass the edge of Bellevue as we cross Utoquai and turn left to cross Quaibrücke. After crossing Quaibrücke and passing the big wheel and stalls set up for the Sechseläuten celebration, we walk along the edge of Stahhausanlage and turn right onto Bahnhofstrasse.
As we stroll along Bahnhofstrasse towards the station, we can see the crowds starting to gather for the parade that is due to start in an hour or so. We stroll past Paradeplatz and carry on along Bahnhofstrasse until we reach the junction with Bahnhofstrasse, where we finish our stroll, looking along Bahnhofstrasse towards the main station.
8 сен 2024
