When you think about Switzerland, the only things that come to your mind are chocolates and the Swiss Alps. But let me tell you that Switzerland has more to offer than these. Hence, today we will take the topic of celebrations that occur every year in Switzerland, what their importance is, and how they are celebrated.
Switzerland National day celebration
Switzerland national day 2024 will be celebrated on August 1st like every year to commemorate the founding of the Swiss Confederacy in 1291. In 1994 the day was considered to be an official holiday. The people in Switzerland mark the anniversary with bonfires, fireworks, and parades.. Whatever Swiss have achieved excellence previously is the reason why the Swiss National day is celebrated. Each canton in Switzerland also has its regional holidays, such as the Geneva festival in August and the Chalandamarz festival in the canton of Graubünden, which celebrates the arrival of spring.
Why is Swiss Independence Day 2024 being celebrated?
The Swiss celebrate their National Day at the start of August due to events that took place in 1291. It was then that the three cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden signed an alliance of mutual support against the tyrannical and powerful Habsburg Empire. This alliance marked the very early beginnings of what we know as the Swiss Confederation.
However these incidents were the origins, the mark to celebrate its own National day came after the advancement of the industry sector. In fact, it took over 700 days. Indeed, it wasn’t until 1994 that the day was finally enshrined as a public holiday.
How is 1st August Switzerland Independence Day celebrated?
Like most national celebrations around the world, traditional food and drinks play a significant role in the day’s activities. And this will also happen in Switzerland National Day 2024. The day starts with farmer’s breakfast. The breakfast usually consists of brunch with eggs, sausages and rosti which is a potato dish with bread bun and August weggen. It is a delicate dish on top of which features a cross reminiscent of the reminiscence of the Swiss flag.
Swiss national sausage, cervelat, is the main course for many afternoon and evening barbecues. Of course, cheese is served with every meal with hard apple cider.
There are citizens who will be dressed in colorful costumes and flags will be paraded supported by wonderful musical events.
At night the sky will be filled with fireworks and children running around with lanterns with red and white crosses. More traditional celebrations involve building a bonfire in an elevated spot to commemorate Switzerland’s early history and the ongoing struggle that led to full independence.
Also, prominent community speakers give speeches about the values of Swissness” and what the future promises for the proud citizens of this multicultural, peaceful nation.
Swiss National Day is widely regarded as one of the most important holidays in Switzerland. On this day, the entire nation comes together to celebrate their shared heritage and values.
Business hours during the Switzerland National Day 2024
As the Swiss National Day is considered to be a public holiday, this makes the business hours differ in time. It is quite natural this means everything will be mostly closed including supermarkets and grocery stores. However, some tourist hotspots in larger towns and cities will be open, along with cafes and restaurants. However, if you go to the rural side, you might not be able to find anything open, so it’s best to keep up stock of supplies. Regarding transport, vehicles will be available but to a lesser extent.
Get professional Assistance for a Switzerland Visa appointment
To obtain a Switzerland Tourist Visa from London to enjoy the Switzerland National Day 2024 celebration, you will first have to book a Switzerland Visa Appointment on our website. Once you complete your Switzerland Visa application on our website, an advisor will get back to you on your given phone number or email to provide you with professional assistance. Then, our experts at Switzerland Visa will cross-check the application for accuracy and remove errors so that your visa doesn’t get rejected by any means. After that, you will have to take your documents and provide your picture and biometrics on a date specified for your appointment at the Visa Centre. A Visa officer will verify those documents, and within a maximum of 15 days, you will get your Visa.
Conclusion
The Switzerland National Day 2024 is part of Swiss culture. However, one needs to consider that they keep old traditions not for the sake of tourism. They do keep those traditions alive with pride. Therefore, nowadays, Switzerland can boast of highly preserved living traditions as well as local customs. The Swiss Alps have played a significant role in creating the history and cultural diversity of Switzerland.