Thousands go onion-crazy in Swiss capital

Braided “onion ropes” are sold at Bern's Zibelemärit festival. Keystone-SDA

Bern’s traditional annual onion market, known as the Zibelemärit in Swiss German, got off to a busy start in the early hours of Monday morning despite bad weather conditions. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the festival in the Swiss capital.

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The streets of Bern’s Old Town began to come alive shortly after 4am on Monday, the Keystone-SDA news agency reported. In temperatures just above freezing, the first visitors strolled across the Bundesplatz main square and enjoyed the plaited strings of onions.

The Zibelemärit has long been more than just a vegetable market where tonnes of onions, garlic, carrots and leeks are on offer. Onlookers also find numerous fairground stalls and open-air counters.

The Zibelemärit dates back to the 19th century and always takes place on the fourth Monday in November. It has featured on an official list of Swiss living traditions since 2011.

Adapted from German by DeepL/sb

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