Sechseläuten 

Zürich

 

Winter reduced to ashes

 

Zürich has two main events: in summer there's the famous Street Parade where up to 1 million people venture to the city to party and dance. The much quieter event is the Sechseläuten which literally means “the six o’clock ringing of bells”. This is traditional and dates back to the 16th century. A snowman, symbolising the winter is perched upon the top of the pyre and is then set alight at 6 pm sharp. The belief is, that the faster the fire reaches the snowman’s head – which is packed with firecrackers – and explodes, the better, warmer and longer the summer will be.