Samichlaus Day: Grittibänz

Many of you know that in European countries, Santa comes on December 6 (St. Nickolas Day) bringing sweets, leaving them in shoes and other such customs. In 2014 this day was on a Sunday, so we saw a few incarnations of the jolly man out and about. You can read about it here.

For a month or so, we have been seeing these strange-looking dough boys in bakeries and grocery stores.

At Stocker

At Sprüngli

These Grittibänz have twigs or switches in their arms. Some smoke pipes. The best ones have chocolate instead of wood. Like this one we ate.

From Migros

This article tells you 9 Things You Didn’t Know about Grittibänz. Including Even today, the Grittibänz mostly appears as a man. Well, it’s already in his name: Grittibänz consists of “Gritten”, which means something like “spread your legs” and “Gritti”, which means an old man with spread legs, as well as Bänz or Benz, the Short form of “Benedikt”, together. But! That was not always so. In the “Culinary Heritage of Switzerland” some sources indicate that dough figures in the shape of women were widespread in the Bernese Oberland, Baselbiet and other Swiss areas.

These look like rejects?

Swiss Family Fun has a great article about how to make one, including a video. You can see it here.

A few more photos at glampinginswitzerland’s Instagram.

Samichlausschwimmen

In December 2014, we watched people swim in the Limmat River, many wearing Santa hats. You can read about that event here. When I read about this year’s swim, I grabbed my long lens and walked to the river. Imagine my surprise when there were no swimmers near the Conelli tent where it had taken place in 2014.

Hm. Well, this website had the date and time, and we were there. I double-checked the website and looked for a location. NO LOCATION LISTED. I find often that websites about Zürich events leave out pertinent information. Like at time. Or a location. Or a price.

Since we knew the event was in the Limmat River, we started walking along the banks. Sure enough, by the time we had walked almost two miles downstream, we came to the Flussbad Oberer Letten where we saw heads bopping up and down in the water.

Along the river are various places where you can swim in the summer. There are changing rooms and a prescribed area for swimmers near a dock. The river and lake are clean enough for swimming. They are also fed by glacial waters. On Sunday, the water temperature was described as “warm” at 10 degrees C. which is 50 degrees F.

This MC was announcing all kinds of things in Swiss German.

I took many photos of various people swimming downstream. Many had festive hats on. After about 100 photos, we thought we might go, but then I saw these women waiting in line.

Swimmers usually pair up or go in groups, and these white-wigged women looked like they were in for a good time. I had to wait for their turn. I’m glad I did. Here they are, after getting decked out and having their photo taken.

The MC asked them who they were, and he proclaimed to the audience that they were the “Queen Angels.” I counted ten of these women.

There were two places to enter the river, and these Queen Angels chose the shorter distance to the finish line. Smart.

They all made it.

This website said that 380 people participated this year. The money raised went to the Idée Sport Foundation. It also said that there was homemade barley soup for the participants, but I did not see it. A friend suggested that glögg would have been better, and perhaps a hot tub. I agree.

Here is the Facebook page for the event.

More photos at glampinginswitzerland’s Instagram.