This parade wasn’t actually called a Swiss Heritage Parade, it was part of a two-day Jodlerfest, but that’s what I’m calling it. It pretty much includes every thing which is typically Swiss, as you will see (and I will take care to point out). I took a lot of pictures.
It started out with a lovely team of horses pulling a float with two adorable kids in Swiss dress. I love how everything was decorated with greenery and flowers.
Then some cows in their best Sunday attire- bells and shrubbery headdresses.
A tractor with pulling a yodeler club, who were indeed yodeling.
Fancy bells were absolutely everywhere!
Geraniums in flowerboxes are on most farmhouses in Switzerland, truly.
Wrestling- a fine Swiss tradition.
These boys were considerate enough to show off an awesome take-down right in front of us.
This time bells held on long sticks.
Love this rose and fern arrangement in this wooden basket thing.
This was the first time in my life being at a parade where along with candy, including fine Swiss chocolate, some cookies, there was also alcohol (beer, I presume) was passed around.
Flag throwers—very cool.
There were a few marching bands.
Bears- most undoubtedly Swiss, or rather, Bernish (is that a word?)
What a nice painting of the Alps on this wagon.
The little kids, especially the girls in their dresses, were SO adorable!!
A bunch of men came by cracking whips. It was awesome, and yet very frightening at the same time as those whips were long and could have totally got us. Cracking whips is certainly Swiss.
More bells, this time on yokes.
Then there was kindof an old-fashioned farming exhibition next. It started out with this guy who was scattering seeds.
Then these guys with their rakes and scythes and plenty of old-fashioned tools that I can’t identify.
Then came the threshers, who were really threshing. I didn’t mention this, but it was very hot out. I felt a bit sorry for the bell carriers and threshers and those who had to do more than just walk.
Old-fashioned skier. Skiing is very Swiss. Certainly nowhere else in the whole world can claim skiing as their own so much as the Swiss can.
And… more skiers…
More flag throwing and twirling.
Logging. I assure you that I have never seen the amount of stacked logs anywhere that I have in Switzerland. They’re everywhere.
St. Bernards. I need not even mention how particularly Swiss they are.
This guy and his beard!!! Sweet.
Alphorns. I have actually played one—I am so Swiss!
I love this guy! His vest, his beard, his hat—all work so perfectly together. I love it for these kinds of things when people really look like they could be from the olden days, like when they don’t have a modern hairstyle or are wearing a watch, or sneakers. Guys can do it more easily, because really-- beards are timeless.
A wool place-
This guy also deserves props for his beard. Plus he gave us a ball thingee of wool. Sweet.
The girls always wear a flower in their dress.
Mustache.
I love the big baskets of beautiful flowers!
My goodness, these kids being pulled on the little wagon by the dog was the cutest thing in my life!! I need a dog! And a little wagon! And cute little Swiss outfits for my kids! Now!
And this one was also super awesome, but I wish those ladies weren’t in the way. Dumb ladies—can’t you see I’m trying to take a picture here?! Anyway, the little carriage pulled by 4 adorable goats in fancy goat harnesses?! Best thing ever! I decided against the dog and need four goats instead.
Zopf! That’s the braided bread. It is THE bread of Switzerland. (Brett loves it, I love quite a few other kinds more.)
Talmage got too hot to stand out in the sun anymore and was begging to go home, but I told him to go into the shade right behind us. Then he tried to climb up to sit on this post, and this nice old guy helped him up. Talmage refused to look at him.
Beautiful horses! Carrying more free beer!
And still MORE bells! They walk a certain way, all in step to make music—I guess you call it music? It’s SOOOO loud. So so loud.
I look terrible in this picture. My family will all think I have a secret pregnancy again because I look fat, but I assure you, that is NOT the case. Just a most unflattering picture. However, I like that these pretty girls took a picture with us, so I shall include it.
Awesome parade. There was one thing though that I didn’t see that I wished we had- (I’m stealing this picture from my friend’s Facebook account, she went to a similar parade a week before we did in a different town and told us of this one):
Cheese! With that included, I think we have covered pretty much every Swiss thing there is. (You tired of me yet?)
Guys, you know something really strange? I live in Switzerland.
