Switzerland is a country made
famous for its dedication to keeping time accurately. The watches produced there are valued
world-wide.
That said, another famous Swiss
attribute is its work ethic.
People
expect to have a job, save money, work hard, and that is all there is to
it.
The city of Zurich exceptional work
ethic is celebrated on the third Monday of April, Sechseläuten. This means
literally “The ringing of the six o’clock bells”, referring to the fact that
the workers of all the guilds could work an extra hour each day until
autumn. Hurray!
Quoting from a magazine, Hello Switzerland, is this explanation:
“On the day itself, the bells are
the cue for the ten-metre-high bonfire in Sechseläuntenplatz (plaza) to be
set alight.
On the top of it is the Böögg,
a giant snowman with a head full of
explosives.
When the fire reaches
his head and the head explodes, winter is officially over. Tradition says the sooner his head explodes,
the better the summer will be.”
 |
| Per Wikipedia |
Take that, Punxutawney Phil.
