Berchtold's Day - history and traditions

Berchtold's Day reminds Duke Berchtold V., Berne, now the capital of Switzerland, founded in the twelfth century.

According to legend, he explains to hunt, he would be killed with his young city, the first animal after him. The hunt was a success and the Duke is successful, a bear, kill or Bern in German.

Despite the many references to the day as Berchtold, was no saint (not sure to pay anyway). There are so used to vacationare named after saints in Europe, many people automatically speak the Duke sacred.

Ideally located in the schedule to enjoy an extra day to relax or freed by the new year, is a Berchtold, lighthearted family-oriented festival.

Nuts

Although it is difficult to see the immediate connection with the killing of a bear, the nuts are a big part of the celebration. Perhaps one explanation is that the Duke was able to kill a squirrelrather exaggerated a bear, and his exploits became over the centuries?

Eating nuts and playing, singing and dancing are popular features Berchtold followed days meetings.

Traditionally, children begin to treasure supplies of nuts in the early autumn's day Berchtold, when a "tough" have.

A favorite game of children is to try to "ankle." You have five dice jump - four nuts located close to each other, with a fifth placeTip. This is apparently simple engineering firm mother is surprisingly difficult to build and maintain.

Although the author focuses on the theory and squirrel would be the immediate renaming of Bern approved as a "city squirrel '(Squirrel Town), the parent, as most of the traditions of the holiday, was probably a much older custom acquired when winter food such as nuts as the harvest stored in the fall, he would eat it to celebrate the turning of the seasons and haveSpring was now closer than in the autumn.