Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope

Sechselauten - Switzerland's Spring Festival

We find out what Sechselauten really means when we join Joseph on his springtime visit to Zurich, Switzerland. Considered a dry, formal, business town, Zurich casts off the stereotypes and its residents slough off their inhibitions when they welcome spring in celebration with the town's historic medieval trade unions. On parade day Joseph dons a baker's cap and joins the Bakers Guild for a romp through the streets of Zurich to the square where the Bogg (snowman) who, in observation of the end of winter, loses his head in a burst of firecrackers. Once he is engulfed in flames winter is banished and the citizens of Zurich use the glowing embers of his pyre to roast sausages, along with quaffing local wine and partying well into the night.