Happy 720th Birthday, Switzerland

On Ausugt 1st, 1291, three alpine cantons (Uri, Schweiz and Unterwalden) came together in a field called Rutli  near Lucerne, in what is now Switzerland, to pledge their bond of brotherhood and to promise mutual action if any of them was attacked by outsiders.

That is why today the Swiss celebrate their National Holiday on the 1^st of August.  The Swiss Confederation is 720 years old this year, and is surely the oldest continuously functioning democracy in the world.

Some Swiss will gather at Rutli to listen to a patriotic speech from the president of the Confederation. Switzerland is a true confederation, with the Cantons, or states, independent but linked in a confederation called the Helvetic Confederation. Helvetic? - because that’s the name the Romans gave to the tribes they encountered along Lac Leman. It was an approximation of the real name but that’s what was heard by the Roman ears.

The Confederation adopts laws and regulations, and the Cantons decide to accept or reject them. If something is accepted but the citizens aren’t satisfied, they hold a national referendum, and a majority of the Cantons plus a popular national majority is required for passage. Switzerland is a real democracy.

The Swiss are fiercely protective of their democracy and fight any attempt to dilute it. They are also very proud to be Swiss, but modest in talking about their country. It takes time for a foreigner to realize that the Swiss love Switzerland even though they are always talking about the mistakes the Confederation is making. Not to worry. The referendum always clears things up.

On the 1^st of August, there are barbecues, farm brunches (you sign up ahead of time to go to one of the farms offering cheese fondue or cheese raclette or sausages and cheese with terrifically good Swiss wines). Later in the day, there are corteges - parades in every village and town, with brass bands and people dressed up in local traditional costumes. Often, there is choral singing because the Swiss have superb local choirs.

Then come the fireworks. Everywhere.

And, just before the fireworks begin, the villages light their bonfires. I think that’s my favorite part of the Swiss National Holiday. The bonfires were originally used to call for help from mountain to mountain village, when there was a natural disaster or an invasion. The bonfires are lit on the 1^st of August to keep this tradition alive. It is humbling to see the fires start up all around in the darkness and realize that at every bonfire there are Swiss, celebrating but also saying, ‘we are ready if there is a problem.’

Don’t believe most of what you hear about the Swiss and their country. They are hard-working people, not wealthy, with no gold in the streets. They are simply proud and cautious democrats who work every day to stay together and independent. The European Union tries to rope them in, but so far the Swiss have politely said, ‘no.’

So, happy 720^th birthday, Switzerland. May you have many more because we need your example of a nation with 4 languages, 4 cultures, and 23 Cantons, which has managed to stay free, linked in a democratic confederation that is an inspiring beacon of true democracy.