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20 April 2026 - Erlenbach

Today is the fourth and final day of Sächsilüüte here in Zürich, which means offices are closed for the second half of the day. More on that later. The dogs and I started the day with the short climb up to the castle ruins of Alt Landenberg in Bauma. Surprisingly we've never taken the time to go up there, usually focusing on the Töss river instead. It's quite perfect for a morning dogwalk though, and offers a great view of the valley. The spring up there is still running, but sadly marked nonpotable. Still, the picnic tables and fire pits mean we'll be back again. I did feel a little bad though, as we disturbed a young man who was sitting under the tree up there meditating.

Then it was half a workday, fondue lunch, and a drive to Erlenbach where we left the dogs and took the train into the city for the festivities. In the 16th century Zürich passed a law that in the spring the Frauenmünster church would switch from ringing the bell to end the workday from 5 o'clock to 6 o'clock, thus at six (sächsi) it tolls (lüüte). The local guilds at some point added a parade, and this year there were 26 guilds which participated. There's everything from taylors to carpenters to merchants to the Frauenmünster society, which is made up of all women. And so I dragged Iwona to the parade, which she ended up loving and was a first for both of us. Part of the parade includes women spectators with flowers who run up and give them to men in the parade for a kiss. As you can imagine, they become more aggressive as the parade progresses and the women get drunker. All in good fun though, right? The floats are all horse drawn, and the costumes range from medieval to Napoleonic to suits and tophats.

At six PM the bells toll and they light the pyre under the Böögg. What is a Böögg, you might ask? In the early years it was a bogeyman who tormented children or an effigy of some clamnity which befell the city, but the past couple centuries it's been a snowman to represent winter. And, if he explodes in a timely Swiss manner in under 15 minutes, then Zürich will have a good summer without too much rain. While the fire burns the horseriders take turns going at full gallop around it. It's quite a spectacle and thousands turn out every year to see it with nearly a hundred thousand more watching at home on TV. I've never been to Puxatawny, but I do like how they prognosticate the weather here in Zürich!