Bringing in the New Year
As the bells toll, bringing in 2014, we look back on a year that found Switzerland at peace during a time of worldwide change. We realize how lucky we are to live here and we hope that the new year brings peaceful solutions to all countries around the globe.
As expats, we may feel out of touch with the customs that revolve around the seasons of the year in our adopted lands. Last year offered a bumper crop of happenings here in Switzerland. Hopefully you managed to take in some skiing or winter hiking in January or February. Although the temperatures were cold, cozy gatherings around the bubbling fondue pot or raclette oven helped us shake off the chill. The numerous thermal baths, available in any weather, are certainly a treat for tired bodies and souls. Then came the burning of the Böög (the exploding snowmen), that foretold a cold spring. Poor Böög’s forecast seemed to hold true, with snow falling in many lowland Swiss regions until quite late in the spring. The apples were smaller and the cherries more sparse, but then summer came, and what an amazing summer it was! There were so many chances for outings, one didn’t need to leave town to hit a lake or river beach, go for an amazing bike ride, or hike from mountain hut to mountain hut. Open air music and film festivals, the Limmat swimming events and Knabenschiessen (children’s shooting contest) led us into autumn, with its beautiful colors and vibrant light. Then the fog descended in many areas, and gave way to days of reflection and the harvest festivals and parades that warmed our hearts until the holidays: glowing pumpkins and turnips, the Carrot Market in Aarau, the Onion Market in Bern and the Truffle Market in Murten. Later, Advent windows shone and we enjoyed baking with our children, shopping in brightly lit towns and cities and family dinners and celebrations. Finally the holidays arrived and passed. It seems like a dream, the speed at which the year went by.
And now we enter 2014; in many ways, it could be a year like any other. The seasonal events will take place like before and our families will grow older, and hopefully wiser. There will be dance lessons, sport training, school events and family gatherings. We will design our lives partially in accordance with our own customs and expectations. But we expats are learning to fit in with this country’s customs, for our well being and for the sake of our children. After all, it is where they are growing up. So, although we may want to hold on to our own country’s rituals, we will also try to embrace those of Switzerland, a land with an abundance of customs and traditions that serve to unite us and make us feel at home. We hope that our website offers you some of the information that you need to make the most of your time here. It’s a wonderful life!
We at Mothering Matters online are celebrating our first birthday this year. Previously a print journal, we went online last January, and we have been moving forward ever since! We would like to thank our advertisers for their loyal support and we would like to wish our site members all the best this year and in the future. Without you, we would not be able to offer information for English speaking families in Switzerland. Through your sponsorship, we can continue to support charitable organizations in this country.
Mothering Matters’ Team wish you good health and happiness this year: Happy 2014!
By Mary Bider
Photo by Daniel Schnellmann
