Ubersitz, the utterly unique – and deafening – Swiss custom

At the end of every year the villages around Meiringen in the Bernese Oberland are a hive of activity. The inhabitants of the Haslital, the Hasli valley, celebrate the ancient custom of Ubersitz in “Old Year’s week”. “Begone, evil spirits, disappear back into the realm of the dead!” Such banishments are widespread in Switzerland and are traditionally celebrated around the winter solstice. In the Haslital, people drive out the evil spirits with drums and “Treicheln” or trychels (giant cowbells). The custom called Ubersitz – never pronounce it with an Ü! – is considered the most important folk festival in the region. This is when the locals brave the cold and fatigue for several days and nights. Although similar customs such as the Klausjagen or Silvesterchlausen exist in other parts of Switzerland, the combination of trychels, drums, masks and the communities of several villages with distinctive characteristics is unique. The Ubersitz is still very much alive and is passed down from ...