Pass me the binoculars: Silvesterchlausen in Appenzell (Swiss Stories 2017, by Laurent Bleuze) - Swiss Press Award

Pass me the binoculars: Silvesterchlausen in Appenzell

Laurent Bleuze

There are three types of Silvesterklaus: the handsome, the ugly, and the "natural." The Silvesterklausen stop at every farm and ring their bells, then sing a "Zäuerli" (a polyphonic natural yodeling typical of Appenzell) whose purpose is to ward off evil spirits. They thus celebrate the passage of the New Year.