Contura - RhB

November
'Kastanien-Klopfen'
The ancient tradition of 'Kastanien-Klopfen'
(chestnut tapping) is encountered
only in Bergell. In this region the chest-
special huts ('Cascine'). During the merry
festivities in November the inhabitants
of Bergell 'tap' the chestnuts to separate
the fruit from the shell. In most of
Italian-speaking Switzerland and the
Bergell region of Graubünden, chestnuts
were a staple food of the population
for hundreds of years. In the old
days, it also used to be considered very
important to store the chestnuts correctly
in purpose-built outhouses. To
this day, the people of Bergell celebrate
the chestnut festival every autumn in
honour of 'their' chestnut.
December
'Barchinas'
In Scuol, the villagers celebrate the end
of the year on 31 December by making
little candlelit boats or 'Barchinas', as
they are called in the Vallader dialect of
Romansh. This festival of lights is of pagan
origin. On New Year’s Eve, the chil-
shells or bark with liquid wax and provide
them with a wick. Then they light
-
cance
of this festival is the celebration of
the winter solstice on 21 or 22 December,
but it now takes place a few days
later to make room for the Christian fes-
boats serve to symbolise the victory of
light over the darkness of night.
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