The highlight of every Stobede is the “Hierig”, a dance for couples that depicts the ups and downs of love.

By K T Chacko, News Editor

Switzerland is one of the world’s most technologically advanced countries but it is also remarkably rich in customs and traditions. The people of Switzerland are deeply in love with their traditions and passionate in fostering them. Throughout the country, the people cherish and cultivate these practices, both for the pleasure they give and for the wonderful contrast they offer to modern life.
This year, Switzerland Tourism is promoting the Appenzell region that consists of two cantons in the eastern part of the country that lie close to Germany, Austria and Lichenstein. As part of the promotion campaign, Switzerland had invited journalists from all over the world to explore the authentic traditions of Appenzell and Gulf Times was the only newspaper from Qatar to participate in the media trip “Living Traditions”.
Among the leading Swiss traditions are cheese making, folk music, alphorns, descent from the high pastures, wild haymaking, yodelling, flag throwing, betruf (mystical alpine prayer) and Schwingen (wrestling). Herdsmen once used the alphorn to communicate, because the instrument’s warm sound can be heard over very great distances.
In the charming landscapes of Appenzell in eastern Switzerland, people have a special fondness for music, fine fabrics and the traditions associated with the social life of the alpine farming communities.
The picturesque town of Appenzell itself is centuries old, with its ornately decorated wooden houses still preserved in their ancient glory. The details of these works are particularly impressive: intricate carving, paintings, and elaborate compositions of form and colour that adorn the wooden facades under the roofs.
It is a town that effuses a strange charm and so quiet that one can even meditate on its cobbled streets, but one that at the same time offers amenities for modern life like comfortable hotels and stylish restaurants, all set in the backdrop of pristine meadows and mountains.
Perched on a sunny terrace high above the valley floor, the town promises visitors purest fresh air, blissful tranquility from the madding world and gorgeous views of mountain scenery.
Appenzell even today has a large farming community and a thriving dairy industry. The cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden and Outerrhoden have a population of about 15,500 cows and some 16,000 people. The Appenzell cheese is world famous, with only three men from the whole area privy to the secret recipe that has made this dairy product one of the most sought after delicacies in the world.
Almost all of Appenzell’s traditions are derived from animal farming. There is a saying that cows, cheese and chocolate are central to Switzerland’s image. The region even hosts a beauty contest for cows at the annual cattle show where a well-formed udder, a powerful build and a beautiful coat are among the attributes that count the most.
The judges’ task is to crown the most beautiful cow in the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden. The cows arrive spruced up for the occasion — as do their owners — each of whom sports a traditional sleeveless, fiery red waistcoat, black felt hat, embroidered white shirt and a single golden earring, dangling from the right ear.
Once the judges have chosen the winner and placed a garland of flowers around her horns, the beasts are led back to the cattle sheds. The farmers and their families stay on and celebrate: with local beverages, melancholy songs and lilting dances.
A double bass, fiddle, a dulcimer and a dance floor — that’s all the people of Appenzell need to be able to celebrate until the early hours. The charming custom of the “Stubette” , a relaxed get-together of folk musicians, is highly popular to this day — in homes and in public places. Among the most delightful events are the summer “Alpstobeden” at the Plattenbodeli and Bollenwees mountain inns. Here in the spectacular setting of the Alpstein massif, musicians, locals and guests gather to play folk tunes, yodel and sing. The music is a treat to dance to; the highlight of every Stobede is the “Hierig”, a dance for couples that depicts the ups and downs of love.
Yodelling is a popular local tradition, which has its origins in the sounds made by herdsmen to call their cattle in from the alpine pastures. These were developed as wordless but intense melodies that are handed down from generation to generation, and seem to spring from the depths of the singer’s soul.
The Appenzell region is famous for many things: scenery, almond filled Biberli cakes, delicious local beverages and the local people’s wry sense of humour. One can get an insight into this by boarding the cog train in Rheineck for the climb up to the pretty village of Walzenhausen, where the views extend across the wide expanse of lake Constance to the lush German landscape beyond. The town is also the starting point for the charming Appenzell joke trail, which leads for 9km across hilly scenery to the historic town of Heiden. Along the route visitors pass about 80 panels telling jokes from the region — guaranteed to bring a smile to the face, as well as give an insight into how locals tick.
Power rests with the people in a democracy and it is practised in its truest form in Switzerland. The Landsgemeinde (open air parliament) is the embodiment of “direct living democracy” and has taken place in the open air on the last Sunday in April since 1403.
On this day, the seven members of the cantonal parliament and the cantonal judges are elected or confirmed in office and voting takes place in constitutional, legislative and financial issues. Voting is done by a show of hands. After the Landsgemeinde is over, there is lively village celebration.
The people of Appenzellerland also observe the annual pilgrimage to the Stoss, on the second or third Sunday in May. After the victorious battle at the Stoss in June 1405, the people of Appenzell vowed to make a pilgrimage to the site of the battle each year on the Feast of St Boniface (14 May) to give thanks for their freedom and to remember their fallen. The Stoss pilgrimage is one of the oldest and most natural traditions in the Appenzellerland.
For the many farming families, the cattle drive up to the alpine summer pastures, either in May or June, is the most enjoyable day of the year. The animals are assembled and in some cases an old dairy wagon is loaded with traditional alpine dairy utensils.
The bell cows (cows wearing huge bells weighing up to 20kg) are led by an alpine herdsman wearing a traditional festive costume and carrying over his left shoulder, a milking pail with an ornately painted bottom. The three harmonised bells around the necks of the cattle are the only instruments in the world to be played by cows.
Right at the front of the procession are Appenzell goats controlled by children. Then follow the cows, bullocks and calves, and sometimes a bull. At the end of the procession is the proud owner of the herd, accompanied by his faithful mountain dog, which makes sure that none of the animals stray from the path.
The most important task of the four herdsmen behind the bell cows is to sing and yodel. Once the procession has reached the alp, the herdsmen walk in measured paces carrying the bells to the hut. While the cattle are driven onto the meadows , they sing “Rugguusseli”, the wordless alpine yodelling songs.
The cattle stay on the alp for eight to 10 weeks. The descent from the summer pastures takes place at the latest by September 30 and takes the same form as the ascent.
A special form of evening prayer offered by the herdsmen while they are on the alps is also unique to the region. After a hard day’s work and the cowbells have fallen silent, the herdsman finds an elevated position, puts the carved wooden funnel to his mouth and calls out the alpine blessing — a moving moment of reflection. It is supposed to protect all within its reach from earthly and eternal fire, hail, lightning, rockfall, pestilence, hunger and war.
Life up on the alps is hard. From dawn to dusk the herdsman has his hands full — milking, making cheese and butter, feeding the animals, trimming hooves, clearing meadows, chopping wood, cooking and searching for animals that have strayed.
Alpine farming concentrates on the rearing of hardy commercial livestock. Cows, calves, goats and sheep spend the summer from mid-May to September on meadows at a height of 3300 to 7,000 feet above sea level.
This alpine summer grazing protects the fodder crops down in the valley. Whereas cheese was the main product in earlier times, these days regional milk processing companies come and take the milk from the herdsmen and use it to manufacture specialty products. The direct marketing of alpine cheese also has seen an upturn in recent years.
Thanks to the development of roads, many farmers now commute regularly between the valley and the alpine pastures. Landscape management through the farming of the alps has also become increasingly important for the tourism industry and some herdsmen earn additional income by providing visitor accommodation and hospitality.
One of the most important religious festivals celebrated in Appenzell is the Corpus Christi, locally known as Osehegottstag. On this day, the most magnificent processions of the church year takes place in Appenzell and its outlying parishes. The grandeur of the main procession is enhanced by up to a hundred women in traditional feast day costumes and the 15 young women in the black and white costume of the unmarried, carrying painted wooden blocks with the 15 joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries of the rosary.
Surprisingly, for such a modern country like Switzerland, faith healing is still practised by a section of the people. There are about 30 faith healers in Appenzell Innerrhoden who relieve pain and homesickness, stop bleeding and banish warts and other skin diseases. They use secret healing spells and blessings, some of which go back to late medieval times. The healing power is passed down from generation to generation. Normally, transcriptions of the healing spell are handed on and the old books of spells are destroyed. No fees are requested for the service but there is nothing that forbids them from accepting gifts.
A country of eight million people, Switzerland lies in the heart of the European Alps. This central location between three important European cultures (German-speaking countries, France and Italy) is the reason for Switzerland’s linguistic and cultural diversity.
Four languages coexist here – German, French, Italian and Romansh – each with its own flourishing culture. Every region cultivates alongside its language its own customs and characteristics. Immigrants from all over the world, meanwhile, give Switzerland’s cities a multicultural character.
According to Lukas Gahwiler, CEO of UBS Switzerland, his homeland, in fact, is known for its wonderful landscape, cultural diversity, virtues such as reliability, orderliness and quality consciousness.
I found the whole of Switzerland as a landscaped garden with manicured lawns. The beauty of Switzerland lies in its meadows, mountains and lakes. There are about 7,000 lakes bigger than 500sq metres in the country.
A boat journey through the gently flowing Rhine with terraced vineyards on the mountain slopes is a feast to the eyes.
The Swiss people have retained the old houses and other buildings and most of the new houses are built on traditional lines making it difficult to differentiate between the old and the new. The houses do not protrude out of the land but merge aesthetically into the surrounding landscape, providing the harmony that makes the Swiss countryside the ideal picture postcard.
Switzerland owes much of its appeal as a holiday destination to the fact that it offers a greater diversity of experiences and adventures in a compact area than many much larger countries. It packs in an exceptional variety of landscapes and climatic conditions — so that glaciers, palm trees, snow fields, and lakes warm enough to swim in lie remarkably close together.
As far back as the 18th century, travellers from all over Europe marvelled at the variety of Switzerland’s scenery, and wrote admiringly of its majestic Alpine peaks and its wild and romantic valleys. In the 19th century, it was visitors from Great Britain in particular who discovered Switzerland as a holiday destination and conquered many alpine peaks for the first time.
Travel to Switzerland is easy via the three international airports of Zürich, Geneva and Basel; the national airline SWISS offers direct flights from many cities around the world.
Within Switzerland, the public transport system is exceptionally extensive, and renowned for its legendary punctuality. The route network of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) and of the numerous private railway companies extends to around 5,500 kilometres in all. The SBB operates an hourly service between larger cities — half-hourly at peak times — but even remote villages are easy to reach by PostBus or through other motor transport operators.
Meanwhile, countless cog railways, funiculars, cable cars, gondolas and chairlifts carry visitors up to often giddying heights. Many of these installations are record breakers.


What makes Switzerland different

Addressing an international group of 140 journalists from 83 countries at a reception in Appenzell, Jürg Schmid, CEO of Switzerland Tourism, said: “The Alps and the pristine natural landscapes in which we live have shaped the character of the Swiss people. Over the centuries, customs and traditions have evolved that visitors can experience first-hand. Today, this is one of Switzerland’s great tourist attractions.”
“The key elements that differentiate Switzerland as a brand at the international level are authenticity and nature. It is this combination of authentic experiences and beautiful landscapes, together with our heritage of crafts and culture, that attracts visitors to Switzerland from all over the world,” he added.


1 A saddler, who makes cow bells and embroidered leather belts, at work in Appenzell.

2 A troupe performs the Appenzell music at a programme.

3 Jürg Schmid, CEO  of Switzerland Tourism, speaking to mediapersons in Hoher Kasten, Appenzell.