The ‘Silvesterchläuse’ (New Year’s Eve Clauses) come out in force in the middle of January - New Year's according to the Julian calendar.
Their trademark are the spectacular headdresses decorated with scenes from rural life. The groups move from house to house and farm to farm, wishing people all the best for the New Year.
(Keystone/Gian Ehrenzeller)
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Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lawrow (r) arrives at Zurich airport on January 20 on his way to Davos for the annual WEF meeting.
(Keystone/Ennio Leanza)
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Carnival in Lucerne officially got underway at 5am on February 4 with the traditional 'big bang'.
(Keystone/Peter Klaunzer)
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Cow fighting, a tradition in canton Valais, provides a diversion for holidaymakers in the ski and spa resort of Leukerbad on March 12.
(Keystone/Anthony Anex)
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Old man winter is driven out of canton Appenzell Inner Rhodes on the 4th Sunday of Lent.
(Keystone/Gian Ehrenzeller)
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Fans of Swiss wrestling showed their dedication on this wet day in April in canton Zug. (Keystone/Alexandra Wey)
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April showers bring May floods - at least this year in central Switzerland.
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The continent's top gymnasts left their mark at the European championships in Bern in late May.
(Keystone/Peter Klaunzer)
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The Swiss National Bank keeps more than its monetary policy under wraps - this year it kept its headquarters in Bern well covered too.
(Keystone/Peter Klaunzer)
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The national football squad didn't give its fans much to cheer about, losing to Poland in the final 16. Disbelief can be read on fans' faces at a public viewing location.
(Keystone/Manuel Lopez)
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A different view of a music festival - the car park at Paléo outside of Nyon.
(Keystone/Anthony Anex)
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Summertime in Geneva, on the Place des Nations...
(Keystone/Martial Trezzini)
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...and raintime at the Montreux Jazz Festival.
(Keystone/Manuel Lopez)
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House of Representatives speaker Christa Markwalder poses for a photo with a visiting government delegation from Kuwait at the end of August.
(Keystone/Lukas Lehmann)
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Cloud cover but no safety net for Samuel Volery, slacklining in the mountains in canton Fribourg in September.
(Keystone/Laurent Gillieron)
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Searching the crash site of a Swiss army Super Puma helicopter on the Gotthard Pass at the end of September.
(Keystone/ti-press/Samuel Golay)
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Hay, that's quite a load to carry down from the Alps. A farm worker in Isenthal, canton Uri, in early September.
(Keystone/Urs Flüeler)
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Light and shadow paint a picturesque backdrop in Preda, in the southeastern Swiss Alps at the end of October.
(Keystone/Gian Ehrenzeller)
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A gymnast shows parliamentarians how to move and do about faces, in honour of the election of the newly appointed speaker of the House of Representatives, Jürg Stahl (in speaker's chair). Stahl was also recently named head of Switzerland's Olympic committee.
(Keystone/Anthony Anex)
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The Supermoon, seen here from the mountain resort of Arosa on November 14, was the biggest of its kind since 1948.
(Keystone/Gian Ehrenzeller)
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A line of artificial snow on the slopes of Savognin on December 12 highlight the troubling start to the ski season for Swiss mountain resorts.
(Keystone/Gian Ehrenzeller)
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This content was published on
Christoph Balsiger, picture desk
Men in women’s clothing ring in the old new year, a gymnast puts a spin on politics: just two of the images that will be remembered from 2016.
The picture editor of swissinfo.ch has assembled a series of images that reflect some of the most talked about events of the year, but seen from a unique perspective.
These are mingled with pictures that celebrate the greeting of each new season, the passion of athletes and sport fans alike and the moods of the natural world.
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