Silvesterchlausen in Urnäsch


New Years eve is celebrated in a very special and unique way in many villages in the Swiss canton of Appenzell, but only in Urnäsch do they celebrate it again on January 13 (New Year’s Eve, according to the Julian calendar). The tradition of chläuse, a custom over 200 years old has developed from simple begging in disguise, into an expression of creative handwork. The Chläuse wear robes and masks which require a great deal of time and effort to make, each of which falls into one of three very different categories: the Schöne (beautiful), who wear richly decorated headdresses […]