Switzerland can expect a good summer if the famous Böögg snowman is to be believed.
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swissinfo.ch and agencies
The explosive-filled snowman, the highlight of Zurich’s Sechseläuten festival, exploded at 10 minutes and 56 seconds – well below the 14-minute average and within the 10-12 minute range which is supposed to indicate a good summer is on the way.
Some 3,500 guilds, 1,300 musicians and 1,000 children in period costumes took part in yesterday’s traditional Sechseläuten parade through central Zurich.
Sechseläuten, which means “six o’clock bell ringing” dates back to medieval times when craftsmen worked daylight hours until 5pm in winter.
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But although people like to think that their fire customs go back to pagan times, most of them are barely more than a century old. One very widespread custom is the burning of an effigy, often a snowman, at the end of the carnival held in many Swiss towns and villages around the beginning of…
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Sechseläuten reaches its climax with the burning and explosion of a huge snowman effigy, the Böögg. But afterwards throngs of people collect embers from the dying bonfire and hold a giant barbecue until the early hours. (Pictures and text: Christoph Balsiger, swissinfo)
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.