How the Swiss Abroad celebrate their national day
The Swiss are celebrating their National Day, not only here in the Alpine homeland but in every country where Swiss people are now living and working.
August 1 marks a historic event back in 1291, when the three founding fathers are said to have taken an oath to defend their freedom against outside overlords. An exhibition External linkat the Forum for Swiss History in Schwyz explores the myths surrounding the birth of the nation.
The alliance the founding fathers sealed on the Rütli meadow on the shores of Lake Lucerne is celebrated every year with speeches and bonfires, firework displays, picnics and traditional music all around the country. The Swiss tourism websiteExternal link is full of events that people can join in, despite the continuing pandemic.
We asked some Swiss people living abroad to tell us how they would be marking their special day.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
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.