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Custom Chalandamarz This custom originates in the Romansh-speaking part of the Canton of Graubünden in Switzerland on 1 March each year (chalanda=first, Marz=March). The event harks back to the time when the Romans occupied the land known as Raetia. At that time, Chalandamarz marked the start of the year and served to drive out the evil spirits. Later, it became the occasion for the Presidents of the community, Community Secretary, and treasurers, who were elected in February, to be inaugurated. These days, schoolchildren sing and ring bells as they move through the village, driving out the winter. The exact details of the festivities vary markedly from village to village. They include whip-cracking, cowbell playing and walking round the village well. A beautiful description of this tradition can be found in the book ‘Schellenursli’ (‘A bell for Ursli’) by Alois Carigiet. It is available from bookshops. Schlitteda The "Schlitteda" in Pontresina, which is held on the second Sunday of January every year, is a high point of the winter in Engadine society. This tradition has been handed down from generation to generation, and is still very popular. This festive horse-drawn sleigh ride through the deep snow of the high-lying Engadine valley on a blue-skied winter's day gives young people an outlet for their hopes and longings, and the older generation an unforgettable, uplifting experience. The local lads pick their girls up at their houses and take them along on their sleighs. These cavaliers then drive their companions through Pontresina and into the Roseg valley in the brightly decorated horse-drawn vehicles. Eiertrölen Do you still remember rolling eggs at Easter time? The eggs with the hardest shells were the champions. The hunt was on for a suitable slope after the Easter church service. Then everyone rolled their eggs down the hill. If an egg broke, its owner lost the race. Some people put their eggs in ant hills before the race, so the shells were really strong. Of course, decorating your egg was all part of the fun. The usual method was to boil the egg with onion peel. You can still witness egg-rolling in Pontresina, where it takes place at the legendary "egg track" beneath Crast’Ota. Culture Our rhaeto-romanic language A form of Romansh is spoken in the Engadine. On 20 February 1938, the Swiss language known as Romansh was officially recognised as the fourth national language of Switzerland. Romansh is a Romance language, like French, Italian and Spanish. It currently has around 45,000 speakers. In the Canton of Graubünden, five different idioms of Romansh are still spoken; they are all quite different. The ‘Rumantsch Puter’ form is spoken and written in the Upper Engadine. Engadine architecture Typical features of Engadine architecture include thick walls, which have small windows recessed deeply into them. Despite the windows’ narrow appearance, they funnel plenty of light into the home within. This form of construction ensures that little heat can escape the houses in winter. Small bay windows often project from the exterior, to provide a broader view into the lanes. On the upper stories, the walls project outwards. This is a result of the later cladding of poorer wooden houses with stone as their inhabitants’ social status improved. The facades are decorated using a special engraving technique known as ‘sgraffito’. Two or three coats of whitewash are overlaid onto grey plaster. Then, while this white layer is still moist, the engraver cuts motifs into it using a wooden stylus. Door archways, window recesses, gables and corners are the main areas decorated in this way, although whole areas of a building’s facade are also sometimes covered in sgraffiti. The patterns are mostly abstract, for example bands of triangles or circular decorations. Pontresina Tourist Information CH-7504 Pontresina Phone +41 (0)81 838 83 00 Mail: pontresina@estm.ch |
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Custom & Culture
