A Blog on the Boogg

When I first moved to Switzerland, I was informed of the traditional holiday of Sechseläuten, the Swiss version of Groundhog Day. As Groundhog Day is one of my favorite US holidays I was ecstatic and stoked to partake in the festivities. My excitement grew even more when I found out we got a half day to celebrate the occasion (I still believe we should receive a full day off to celebrate the appearance of Punxsutawney Phil) AND the occasion is marked by the explosion of a dynamite stuffed snowman (the Böögg).

For those not familiar with the holiday, the day is to celebrate the beginning of spring and the increase of the work day to 6 pm. It includes a parade of the guilds followed by the lighting of the Böögg, a snowman, filled with explosives, atop a 30 foot bonfire. Apparently, when the Swiss decide to do something, they definitely do it right, especially when it comes to dynamite. The time between the lighting of the bonfire and the explosion of the Böögg`s head is indicative of the coming summer.

Like I said, I was excited, since this holiday has the makings of greatness.

But, like all most things that I look forward to, the actual event was a bit of a let down. It rained…and not just a drizzle, it dumped hurricane style all day long. So much so that by the time the bonfire was lit, it was more of a smoke stack then a blaze of glory. Apparently the firemen had to spray the bonfire with kerosene after initial ignition. The fire eventually picked up and about 20 minutes into the event, with only a few minor explosions, the only thing that remained of the Böögg was a large piece of the neck hanging from the stake. Expecting a larger explosion, but not seeing anything left to burn, some of the crowd started to disperse. Finally after 26 minutes and 1 second, the head exploded, marking the beginning of another bad summer.

And I thought last summer’s weather was bad…