Page 48 - DIVA1 2026

culture

«ringing and swinging their bells Others, usually in the form of huge hats, depict
scenes of life, landscapes or entire towns, houses
rhythmically while singing their or villages and are absolute masterpieces. Each
special wordless (but meaningful) one takes almost a year or more to prepare for
this special occasion.
yodel ‘Zäuerli’. This is how they

chase away all the bad things We went there on purpose, not only to tell this story
and dive into the past, but also to try and «chase»
from the previous year and bring all the bad things away so that they remain in the
turbulent passing year. We even learned to yodel
blessings to the inhabitants» so that we could join in with the singing and bring
good luck to everyone in the current year.

They are: In any case, it’s something that must be seen and
The ‘Wüeschte’ (the ‘ugly’) wear terrifying felt to be believed, especially if you have never
masks adorned with cow horns and animal heard of it before. We guarantee that taking part
teeth. They are believed to chase away bad spirits in this unique living tradition will provide an
or bad things with their bells and dances. absolutely outstanding experience, transporting
The ‘Schö-Wüeschte’ (the ‘beautifully ugly’) you back in time and offering something more
are forest spirits whose cloaks are decorated with besides. You really must experience it for
wood carvings and materials gathered from the yourself! It will leave its mark on you forever!
forest, such as pine and fir cones, bark, moss, old
man’s beard lichen, and snail shells. They look
like ‘travelling big trees’.
The ‘Schöne’ (the ‘beautiful’) are truly
beautiful. They wear huge hats and bonnets that
are extravagantly decorated with scenes from
everyday life or local traditions. They include
hundreds of artificial pearls. Although women
often help to attach the pearls, “Chlausen” is an
exclusively male tradition. This is not just because
‘that’s the custom’, but also because of the physical
effort involved. The bells, “Groscht” cloak, hats
and bonnets are very heavy (sometimes the
costume weighs as much as 80 kg).

They usually choose the house where they stop
and form a circle and perform their ritual:
ringing and swinging their bells rhythmically
while singing their special wordless (but
meaningful) yodel ‘Zäuerli’. This is how they
chase away all the bad things from the previous
year and bring blessings to the inhabitants. Then
they go to the farms to bless the livestock, which
is very important to the farmers.

There is also a museum in Herisau that is open
for just two days a year. Visitors can learn about
the tradition of making costumes there. We were
so lucky to visit it, as it is absolutely fascinating
and again took us back in time to the Middle
Ages. Some of the masks represent spirits
that chase away bad luck, and are made from
materials which are believed to ward off all evil.

w w w. d i va i n t e r n at i o n a l . c h