People in traditional dress gather on Rütli on Swiss National Day

For Guy Parmelin - not in traditional dress - Switzerland’s vibrant and diverse traditions form one of the country’s cornerstones. Keystone-SDA

For Economics Minister Guy Parmelin, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, Switzerland’s vibrant and diverse traditions form one of the country’s cornerstones. In a rapidly changing world, we need values that stand the test of time, he said at the Rütli Meadow in Uri.

Parmelin was also referring to the Swiss Traditional Costume Association, which was founded a hundred years ago and was the guest of honour at this year’s National Day celebrations on the Rütli, overlooking Lake Lucerne in central Switzerland. Tradition remains alive when people wear it – even in the literal sense, he explained.

Clothing reveals “who we are, where we come from or where we feel we belong”, said Parmelin. Switzerland is home not only to many styles of dress, but also to national languages, regions and traditions. “This diversity does not divide us.”

For Parmelin, it is not just clothing but also the Rütli that speaks of origin and belonging. It tells us that Switzerland has never been great because of its size, but because of its determination to determine its own destiny.

The Rütli is neither a palace nor a fortress, he said. “It is a simple meadow.” It shows that in Switzerland, people are at the heart of everything. Switzerland does not rest on a single person or institution, but on millions of people who take on responsibility every day.

The Rütli also shows that people from different backgrounds are stronger together than they are alone, said Parmelin, who hails from canton Vaud. Switzerland is not just a legacy, but also a responsibility that each generation must take on anew. “No matter what clothes they wear – whether traditional costume, a suit, shorts or a red baseball cap,” said Parmelin, waving his famous “Switzerland – Great Since 1291” cap.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.