20Apr/100
Sechseläuten 2010
Sechseläuten 2010 - the right way to blow up a Snowman
Each April, the citizens of Zurich gather to watch the burning of Winter in effigy by setting fire to the Böögg, basically a snowman whose head is filled with explosives. This tradition which has been around since medieval times is similar to Groundhogs day in the US except the length of the burn is supposed to correspond to the length and strength of Summer. The more time that elapses from when the pyre is set on fire and when the head explodes, the longer and more intense the Summer will be. It's a bizarre tradition but one well worth checking out simply because watching a snowman explode into a ball of flame is definitely something different to do at 6 PM on a Monday evening.