In Australia, the nation comes to a stop one afternoon each year on the first Tuesday in November to watch a horse race ... and yesterday the "future Queen of England" was there to woo the Australian public by presenting the Melbourne Cup to the winner riding Green Moon (very strange name for a horse don't you think?) In Melbourne it's a public holiday on the day; elsewhere work stops on building sites and offices around the nation and people pour into pubs and restaurants and meeting rooms to cheer themselves with a glass or three in anticipation of winning ... or losing ... their bets. In the evening, people are seen staggering out of pubs and hotels - clearly this "festival" is just one more opportunity for the triumph of the demon drink.
In Zurich, the community comes to a stop two afternoons each year. Businesses close their doors to allow the community to attend, in April, a street parade celebrating the traditional guilds during which a snowman is burned and, in September, a shooting contest. In April the premier of Switzerland is sometimes there even though it's quite a local event. Knabenschiessen is largely a young folk's fest that has only recently (2008 I believe) included young women as competitors ... and they are doing very well at it. In fact this year's successes present a clear picture of the big shift that's taking place in Switzerland and all over the world. Both festivals are deeply rooted in community traditions and traditional activities that go back centuries. Perhaps staggering out of pubs also goes on in Zurich - I have never been around to tell.
And if one is looking for comparisons, the tradition of horse racing in Australia goes back centuries too. According to one source, horse racing began in Australia almost as soon as the first settlers arrived from England, where horse racing is thought to date back to Roman times. However, the first Melbourne Cup race was run in 1861, the first Aboriginal jockey raced in 1973 and the first woman jockey raced in 2003.
So would you rather live in a community where horse race and gambling stop the community for a day or where the celebration of master trades plus hunting and/or defence are what you stop work for? Fortunately for us, we were in a position to do both though I never attended Knabenschiessen - huntin' and shootin' is not my thing and I have only celebrated the Melbourne Cup from afar. Personally I loved Sechselaueten - the childrens' parade the day before is delightful and part of what I love about how children are inducted into traditions in Switzerland. And the main parade is so colourful and happy and musical ... and it's at least one day a year when florists in Zurich are laughing all the way to the bank.
My love of the Sechselaueten parade, however, is predicated on managing to keep sponsors in their place. Frankly I found the overpowering presence of everything to do with Emirates in the TV coverage of the Melbourne Cup quite offensive. Enough money changes hands on Melbourne Cup day that it is not necessary and could even do more harm than good to image. But I am no expert and would be interested to see what the research actually says. In any case, I can't see these work-stopping festivities stopping any time soon. So when you visit Zurich in April or September or Melbourne in November, be sure to experience the real thing so you can make up your own mind.
In Zurich, the community comes to a stop two afternoons each year. Businesses close their doors to allow the community to attend, in April, a street parade celebrating the traditional guilds during which a snowman is burned and, in September, a shooting contest. In April the premier of Switzerland is sometimes there even though it's quite a local event. Knabenschiessen is largely a young folk's fest that has only recently (2008 I believe) included young women as competitors ... and they are doing very well at it. In fact this year's successes present a clear picture of the big shift that's taking place in Switzerland and all over the world. Both festivals are deeply rooted in community traditions and traditional activities that go back centuries. Perhaps staggering out of pubs also goes on in Zurich - I have never been around to tell.
And if one is looking for comparisons, the tradition of horse racing in Australia goes back centuries too. According to one source, horse racing began in Australia almost as soon as the first settlers arrived from England, where horse racing is thought to date back to Roman times. However, the first Melbourne Cup race was run in 1861, the first Aboriginal jockey raced in 1973 and the first woman jockey raced in 2003.
So would you rather live in a community where horse race and gambling stop the community for a day or where the celebration of master trades plus hunting and/or defence are what you stop work for? Fortunately for us, we were in a position to do both though I never attended Knabenschiessen - huntin' and shootin' is not my thing and I have only celebrated the Melbourne Cup from afar. Personally I loved Sechselaueten - the childrens' parade the day before is delightful and part of what I love about how children are inducted into traditions in Switzerland. And the main parade is so colourful and happy and musical ... and it's at least one day a year when florists in Zurich are laughing all the way to the bank.
My love of the Sechselaueten parade, however, is predicated on managing to keep sponsors in their place. Frankly I found the overpowering presence of everything to do with Emirates in the TV coverage of the Melbourne Cup quite offensive. Enough money changes hands on Melbourne Cup day that it is not necessary and could even do more harm than good to image. But I am no expert and would be interested to see what the research actually says. In any case, I can't see these work-stopping festivities stopping any time soon. So when you visit Zurich in April or September or Melbourne in November, be sure to experience the real thing so you can make up your own mind.
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