August 1st, Swiss National Day
On August 1st, Switzerland celebrates its National Day. We tell you the origin of this holiday, since when it has been celebrated and how the Swiss experience it.
Do you want to know when the Swiss national holiday is celebrated? It falls on the first day of August, a time of year that is quite good for visiting the main cities and other charms of this country in the centre of Europe, since in August it isn’t as cold as usual and, if there is heat, it is quite manageable.
On August 1st, Switzerland commemorates an important historical episode: the Federal Pact of 1291. This is the most widely accepted date as the birth of Switzerland as a country, when in early August of that year (the exact day is unknown) the regions of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden joined together to form a common alliance, to protect themselves from the territorial ambitions of Rudolf of Habsburg, then king of Germany.
That pact was nothing more than an alliance to provide mutual aid in case of need, and it had no intention of forming a state as such. Nevertheless, it is considered the starting point of the present-day nation of Switzerland, above the so-called Oath of Rütli from the 14th century, which today is considered more a legend than a true historical episode.
How do the Swiss celebrate their national day?
In Switzerland, there is no nationwide celebration of National Day, if we may use the expression, but rather each municipality is in charge of organising the activities that take place on that day. In fact, in the past it was not even a public holiday across the whole country, although since 1994 it has been one.
At the national level, the only common element is the speech by the President, which is broadcast on television and radio throughout the country. Afterwards, as we said, each city prepares its own calendar of activities, with parades, regional dances and even fireworks in the most important cities, such as Zurich. People usually take advantage of the holiday and the fact that the weather is often good to do outdoor activities they cannot normally do, such as having lunch in the countryside or in a park.
The first time Switzerland celebrated its National Day was in 1891, to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the Federal Pact. At that time, establishing an official, annual holiday celebrated across the whole country was not considered, but at the request of Swiss citizens living abroad it was established as such in 1899.
Photo | Flickr – Frerk Meyer
