Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

BASEL

Bizarre Swiss Christmas traditions #2: The Harley-riding Santas of Basel

According to tradition, Santa Claus in Switzerland tends to be transported by donkey - or occasionally on foot. In Basel however, Santa’s preferred transport is a Harley Davidson.

Published: 19 December 2019 14:28 CET
Bizarre Swiss Christmas traditions #2: The Harley-riding Santas of Basel
Image: Harley Owners Group Switzerland

Flanked by at least 50 of his similarly-dressed colleagues, Santa Claus rides into town in early December, headed directly for the Basel Marktplatz. 

Once there, the world’s most approachable biker gang makes a swift determination as to who’s been naughty and nice before handing out presents, snacks and sweets to the local children. 

Image: Harley Owners Group Switzerland

The Harley-riding Santas are members of the Northwest Chapter of the Harley Owners Group – conveniently known as HOG – an organisation with over one million members worldwide who harness biking enthusiasm for good causes. 

The event, known as the Harley Niggi-Näggi, has been running in Basel since 1999.

While at this stage it is less of an age-old tradition as some others, it has established itself as a central event on the Basel Christmas calendar. 

The event calls for donations and raises money for the Theodora Foundation, a charity which helps fund entertainment and activities for sick children in hospital. 

Image: Harley Owners Group Switzerland

This includes clowns – known as Giggle Doctors – which visit hospitals with music and props to entertain sick and disabled children.

The Foundation also run the Little Orchestra for the Senses – which brings singing, dancing and music performance to disabled children in hospital. 

In 2019, the HOG raised CHF40,000 for the Theodora Foundation. 

Money is raised through sponsorship from local businesses and organisations, as well as private donations. Anyone who wants to donate or take part can do so at the following link. 

Santa in Basel – simultaneously naughty and nice. Image: Harley Owners Group Switzerland

For anyone who’s keen to check it out, unfortunately it’s already been run and done for 2019 – with the event taking place on December 7th as part of Nikolaus Day celebrations. 

Next year’s event has already been scheduled though, with Santa set to ride into town on Saturday December 5th – handing out presents at 5pm in the market square. 

Swiss Christmas Traditions

Bizarre Swiss Christmas traditions #2: The Harley riding Santas of Basel

Bizarre Swiss Christmas traditions #3: Get drunk on cake, but don’t “make it vomit”

Bizarre Swiss Christmas Traditions #4: Lake Lucerne’s Santa Hunt

Bizarre Swiss Christmas Traditions #5: Edible gingerbread trees

Bizarre Swiss Christmas traditions: #6 Geneva's 'Coupe de Noël'

 

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica}
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px}
p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 14.0px; font: 12.0px Times; color: #0000e9; -webkit-text-stroke: #0000e9}
span.s1 {text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none}

 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

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! 

SHOW COMMENTS