Mother Nature, with her orange and rust-brown dressing gown, is getting ready for a period of rest here in Switzerland. We are still unsure what exactly this period entails. All we know is, “Winter is coming!”

Farming activities

It is the farming activities around us that give us a definite indication that the people are preparing for a new season. The farmers have ploughed the fields. Next to all the barns, we can see how the bales of hay and fodder are accumulating quickly. The stacks of neatly cut wood also get higher. The livestock farmers mainly own cattle, sheep and llamas that graze higher up the mountains during the summer months.

It is a celebrated event when the animals come to the villages during September and early October. The cows, with bells around their necks, are decorated with flowers. The farmers and their families dressed in traditional clothes accompany the animals on their descent.

Mushroom and hunting season

The mornings are already chilly. Temperatures are between 0 and 10 degrees Celsius, and there is a thick fog in the early mornings. In the forests are carpets of autumn-coloured leaves and a variety of mushrooms. In Europe, there are apparently six thousand different types of mushrooms. This time of year, mushroom inspectors at the municipalities look at the people’s picked mushrooms to advise on which are edible or poisonous.

Autumn is hunting season, and people hunt deer in the forests. Hunting licenses are strictly regulated. Venison is a common item on restaurant menus, and a mushroom sauce to go with it is a popular choice.

Pumpkins and Halloween

The most beautiful varieties of yellow and orange pumpkins are for sale. Different pumpkins, marked with a sales price, are displayed on the shelves of wooden stalls all over. You choose your pumpkin and put your money in the dedicated box. The fact that there is no salesperson is beyond my comprehension. The pumpkins create excitement for Halloween. I understand that Halloween is a big event at the school. A mom committee is organising the Halloween party for the end of October.

Oktoberfest

October is known for its Oktoberfest in German-speaking countries. Twenty-five years ago, I attended such a fest in Munich, and I only remember masses of happy people with one-litre beer mugs in the one hand and a giant Pretzel in the other. Young women in beautiful traditional dresses were serving them. Beer tents appear in Zurich in preparation for the Octoberfest, and it is heart-warming to see the young Swiss people, proud of their culture and origin, in their traditional clothes.

Charl’s colleagues warned that the darkness, rather than the cold, creates a challenge during winter. During winter, Zurich is covered in a dense fog layer for almost four to five months without any sunshine. The daylight period is also short. My understanding is that many people struggle with depression during this time. The locals own weekend homes in the mountains above the clouds to experience some sunlight.

The school informed us that the children should have three different pairs of shoes for school purposes. In addition to sports shoes, they should have shoes for indoors as well as outdoor shoes. Every child should have a snow jacket because they play outside during breaks, regardless of rain or snow.

As children of a country with ample sunshine and without snow experience, we look forward to a white Christmas, playing in the snow and drinking hot chocolate. However, we are still figuring out how to prepare ourselves for the winter season.

Kind regards
Emsia