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SWISS TRADITIONS

Bizarre Swiss Christmas Traditions: Lake Lucerne’s Santa Chase

Looking for a weird and wonderful Swiss Christmas tradition? Check out the Klausjagen in the central Swiss canton of Schwyz.

Published: 16 December 2019 19:15 CET
Updated: 5 December 2022 16:30 CET
Bizarre Swiss Christmas Traditions: Lake Lucerne’s Santa Chase
Photo: Depositphotos

Translating to Santa chase or Santa hunt, the festival takes place on the night before St Nikolaus’ Day – December 5th – each year, where a dark and solemn parade weaves its way through the streets of the village of Küssnacht. 

Although these days Santa is less ‘chased’ and more ‘followed slowly and morbidly by local villagers toting rudimentary musical instruments’, the tradition did originate from a hot-footed pursuit of Santa through the city streets by local youth. 

Previously banned by Christian authorities, the Klausjagen is now one of Switzerland’s most celebrated festivals – attracting upwards of 20,000 people a year to Küssnacht and its surrounds. 

Dark Küssnacht of the Soul

Locals and tourists start gathering at around 6pm on the 5th of December to drink Glühwein and stake out good spots to catch a glimpse of the parade. 

Klausjagen usually begins at 8:15pm, where the entire city shuts off its lights and plunges itself into darkness. 

From there, local farmers herd the parade through the streets with whips, cracked in perfect unison. But these aren’t novelty toys, they are real whips which crack like fireworks.

Wearing a stained glass-style hat known as an Iffelen, the participants walk through the streets in white robes to clear the way for Santa. 

Cometh the hour, cometh the Claus

Next comes Santa, who is flanked by four attendants – known as Schmutzlis – in black robes and questionable face paint, carrying sacks and towing donkeys while also handing out pastries to a watching crowd. 

More cowbell

Up next is three waves of noise, each of which are aimed at chasing out bad spirits. First comes a a marching band, repeating a short refrain endlessly, before a group follows them incessantly ringing cowbells. 

The final wave of noise is a group of men who blow on cow horns.  

From there, the dark shadow of the night is lifted, with locals and tourists alike venturing into local taverns and continuing to chase the bad spirits away until the wee hours. 

The following video shows the children of the city – some with whips in hand – preparing for the night. 

From a ban to a centrepiece of Christmas celebrations

The origins of the tradition are believed to be in pagan festivals which involved chasing bad spirits out of local villages. 

When Christian authorities became concerned about the festival and its impact, it was officially outlawed in 1732 – although despite attempts to stop it, it continued to flourish. 

In the 1900s, the next move was to Christianise the festival, with the church encouraged religious representatives to appear. 

The modern incarnation of the festival started as an attempt to pacify what had become a troubling local tradition – local kids and teenagers chasing St Nikolaus around the city. 

Local authorities tried for a decade – from 1920 to 1928 – to convert the practice into something of cultural significance, and presumably to give Santa a chance to catch his breath. 

In 1928, an association was founded – St. Nicholas Society of Küssnacht – which sought to preserve the Klausjagen as a cultural tradition, with the result being the very real Santa hunt was turned into something more ordered and civilised. 

These days, the tradition has been well preserved, is one of the most popular in Switzerland and is well worth attending – provided you don’t mind a bit of cowbell. 

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SWISS TRADITIONS

EXPLAINED: Why is Switzerland so famous for watches?

Watches are considered as quintessentially Swiss as chocolate. But how did that become the case?

Published: 10 April 2024 11:47 CEST
EXPLAINED: Why is Switzerland so famous for watches?

Switzerland is considered the centre of the global wristwatch trade, with several of the world’s largest and most exclusive manufacturers based there.

However, this was not where the watch trade was born. 

In the 16th century, portable, wearable clocks, usually worn on a chain around the neck, first appeared in the German cities of Nuremberg and Augsburg. 

Both cities were known for precision instruments related to the weapons and surveying trades.

Several advances in metallurgy in these two cities enabled the creation of working, albeit somewhat unreliable, clock movements that could be carried around. 

READ MORE: Cuckoo clocks and Toblerone: The ‘Swiss’ products that are not actually Swiss

Soon, these were luxury items – and in fierce demand across Europe. 

Shortly afterwards, another momentous historical event occurred that would enable Switzerland’s dominance of the watch trade. 

An industry is born

As the Protestant Reformation exploded across Europe, French Protestants – known as Huguenots – were driven from France by the Catholic monarchy. 

Many of these Huguenots crossed to Switzerland and settled in Geneva, bringing their skills as metalworkers and jewellers. 

At this time, the city of Geneva was under the control of the reformer John Calvin and his supporters.

Calvin was a strict and austere man who had forbidden displays of flashy jewellery in the city. Thus, many Huguenots retrained as watchmakers to circumvent the religious laws that were rigorously enforced. 

Necessity breeds innovation, and within decades, the first clunky, inaccurate wearable clocks were replaced by far more advanced, smaller timepieces. 

READ MORE: Geneva watch fetches $21 million at auction

Throughout the 17th century, the pocket watch became incredibly popular, owned in large numbers by the nobility. 

Several large mercantile companies appeared in the 18th century, and the merchant class also began carrying them. 

To meet this surge in demand, timepiece manufacturing spread beyond Geneva to several nearby cantons, such as Neuchâtel and Jura. 

At this time, the country’s oldest still-existing watch manufacturer, Blancpain, was founded in 1735. Breguet, another titan of the watchmaking industry, was founded in 1775.  

The first wristwatch 

By the 19th century, the Swiss clock and timepiece industry had achieved almost total dominance, only rivalled by England and parts of Germany. 

This is due to the development of the etablissage system. Family firms in various villages and towns would be responsible for creating standardised watch parts, which would then be assembled by watch firms in the larger cities. 

Inventing the self-winding mechanism also played a huge role in furthering the influence of Swiss watchmaking. 

Such a system streamlined the production process and meant that watches could consistently be produced without waiting for specific parts to be available.

Many believe that Abraham-Louis Breguet created the first wristwatch in 1810 for Caroline Bonaparte, Queen of Naples and sister of Napoleon.  

READ MORE: Napoleon’s locks to be put in Geneva watches

This led to a fashion trend, and by the mid-19th century, women would wear bracelets that included a timepiece. 

Many new luxury brands, such as Patek Philippe in 1839, emerged to cater to this market. 

Men’s wristwatches would follow later – prompted by military men requiring something to use to time manoeuvres in the field. 

The Swiss watch industry continued to expand throughout the 20th century, weathering the development of quartz movements in Japan and several other threats to its dominance. 

Today’s Swiss watch industry

In 2024, the Swiss watch industry will contribute around 26.5 billion francs to the country’s economy, with just four companies—Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Richard Mille—comprising almost half the market share. 

Around 700 wristwatch makers operate across Switzerland today, catering to luxury and specialist markets. 

Despite competition from other countries, such as Japan and the United States, the country is still viewed as a centre of innovation and excellence. 

READ MORE: Swiss watches rebound to beat the pandemic blues

Many firms emphasise bespoke, hand manufacturing as their strength in creating excellent timepieces. 

This perhaps explains the prices that some Swiss watches can command —some Patek Phillipe models, for example, have sold for more than 20 million euros! 

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