December 6 is St. Nicholas' Day (Samichlaus or Samiglais in German-speaking Switzerland). For many children and families, the visit by Santa Claus is a key event in Adventtide, the run-up to Christmas.
Santa Claus wears a red coat and hood and sports a long white beard. He's accompanied by a sidekick called the Schmutzli, wearing dark clothes. They both arrive on the evening of 6 December, visiting children at home and in kindergartens to distribute walnuts, tangerines, gingerbread and other treats which they keep in a sack. The children practise special Santa Claus sayings for this day, which they then recite and are rewarded with the contents of the sack. The Schmutzli also carries a rod to punish any naughty children, but this is almost never used.
In the past, children were threatened with being taken to the forest in Santa Claus's sack if they were disobedient. Today, however, he's regarded as a nice old man who brings gifts.
Friday, 24 November 2023
Route: multi-purpose hall – Flüeliplatz – multi-purpose hall
Saturday, 25 November 2023 at 8 p.m.
Route: school – Dorfplatz – church – school
Friday, 24 November 2023 at 7.30 p.m.
Route: restaurant träumli – school
Saturday, 2nd December 2023 at 7 p.m.
Route: Schulhausstrasse – village – Gemeindehaus
Sunday, 3rd December 2023 at 7 p.m.
Route: Schoried – roundabout coop - garage schlieren– school
Friday, 1st December 2023 at 7.30 p.m.
Route: Pilatusbahn - Chälengasse - Brünigstrasse - Pilatusbahn
Friday, 1st December 2023 at 7 p.m.
Route: Bahnhofplatz – Pilatusstrasse – Dorfplatz – Dorfstrasse
Wednesday, 6 December 2023 at 7.30 p.m.
Route: school– Hotel Krone – Lindenstrasse – station – Dorfplatz
Thursday, 7 December 2023 at 8.00 p.m.
Route: school – village – Landgasthof Rössli
Sunday, 10th December 2023 at 1.30 p.m.
Route: old church tower – church
Friday, 1st December 2023 at 7.30 p.m.
Route: sawmill- widderhuis