Christmas in Switzerland

The Swiss celebrate Christmas in the best traditions of Christianity, observing the Advent season, attending the Midnight Mass, enjoying local foods, and spending time with their loved ones.

Swiss Christmas celebrations don’t lack fun either – people shop in Christmas markets, skate on ice rinks, build snowmen, ski in the mountains, and gather with friends.

Switzerland epitomizes the festive season, radiating a cheerful atmosphere and bringing the Christmas spirit into the hearts of all locals and tourists.

Christmas Markets

The first Christmas markets were held in Germany in the 13th century, and Switzerland, being Germany’s neighbor, quickly adopted the tradition. Attending Christmas markets with family and friends is the top festive entertainment for any Swiss.

Each major city, including Bern, Geneva, Lucerne, and Lugano, hosts an annual Christmas market from early December until Christmas Day. The markets typically sell arts, crafts, festive foods, drinks, gifts, and souvenirs.

Christmas markets in Swiss villages aren’t as large but equally fun, some only lasting a weekend but offering an array of attractions for the entire family. Switzerland hosts over 130 Christmas markets every year despite its relatively small size.

Switzerland’s largest Christmas market takes place in Montreux, counting 160 stalls set up on the shore of Lac Leman. Zurich’s Christmas market is the largest indoor market in Switzerland, held in the city’s train station, featuring a 50-foot-tall Christmas tree.

A Christmas market in Bern is smaller but atmospheric, focusing on crafts and local foods. Lugano’s Christmas market is one of the most picturesque in Switzerland, help near the lake Como and surrounded by palm trees.

Christmas markets all over Switzerland sell hand-dipped beeswax candles known as Kerzenziehen, often in creative shapes. In Zürich, kids can even make candles themselves, following the instructions of local craftsmen.

Gingerbread Baking

Like many Christmas traditions, gingerbread houses originated in Germany in the 16th century. The practice became widespread in central and northern Europe, including Switzerland.

Swiss families love to bake gingerbread houses and cookies throughout the Advent season. Many Swiss kids find the baking and decoration process even more exciting than eating gingerbread on Christmas Eve.

Swiss bakeries hold annual gingerbread house competition among locals, and some even set up entire gingerbread villages. However, the traditional Swiss gingerbread is different from American or British.

In Switzerland, gingerbread is known as lebkuchen. The recipe originated in 13th century Germany and is widespread in German-speaking countries like Switzerland and Austria. Lebkuchen are darker, denser, and richer than classic gingerbread cookies.

Often, Swiss add hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, candied orange, or marzipan into lebkuchen. Swiss gingerbread cookies are also heavier in spices than American, typically including cloves, cinnamon, anise, cardamom, coriander, mace, and ginger.

Advent Wreaths, Candles, & Calendars

Like most Catholics, the Swiss observe the Advent tradition. People light a candle in an Advent wreath every Sunday for four weeks before Christmas, marking the preparations for Christ’s birth and his second coming.

The advent wreath is traditionally made from evergreen branches, often decorated with pinecones, artificial snow, bows, apples, berries, holly, or nuts. Advent wreaths can be found at any Swiss Christmas market.

Each candle has a special meaning and specific liturgical color. The first, second, and fourth candles are lilac, representing penance, and the third candle is pink, symbolizing joy. However, many people nowadays buy candles of the same color, usually red or white.

The candles symbolize hope, faith, joy, and peace and must be lit in this specific order. Some people burn the fifth candle on Christmas Eve – it’s known as Christ’s candle, is traditionally white, and represents light and purity.

Swiss shops start selling Advent calendars for any preference in early November, featuring 24 small gifts behind paper doors. Most Advent calendars feature chocolates, but some are themed, including makeup samples, candles, and other small items.

Switzerland’s largest Advent calendar is in Lucerne – an entire building is decorated to resemble a paper calendar and is lit up at night.

The Samichlaus Arrives with His Sidekick Schmutzli

Swiss Santa Claus is Samichlaus. Like American Santa, Samichlaus is based on Saint Nicholas, a fourth-century bishop from Myra who became famous worldwide for his generosity and good deeds. Nowadays, Catholics in many countries celebrate Saint Nicholas Day on December 6.

Despite one origin, Samichlaus and Santa Claus aren’t the same. Samichlaus wears a long red robe with a hood instead of a red suit with a buckled belt. His robe resembles attires of Catholic saints.

Another distinction is that Samichlaus isn’t responsible for bringing gifts on Christmas Eve – he does so on Saint Nicholas Day. Samichlaus’ gifts usually include lebkuchen, chocolate, tangerines, and nuts rather than toys or new phones.

However, not everyone deserves treats from Samichlaus. He arrives with his sidekick Schmutzli, dressed in a long dark robe. Schmutzli doesn’t pay much attention to his hygiene and typically has a dirty face and shaggy hair.

Even his name is derived from the Swiss-German word for dirty. Schmutzli walks around with a large sack, threatening to kidnap kids who don’t behave well.

Samichlaus and Schmutzli don’t ride a flying sleigh drawn by reindeer – their sleigh is pulled through the snow by a donkey.

Christmas Dinner in Switzerland

Switzerland is known for delicious foods – chocolate, cheese, ham, you name it, so a Swiss Christmas dinner was bound to be mouthwatering. Most Swiss celebrate Christmas on December 24 with an abundant feast.

However, there’s no universal Swiss Christmas dish – food varies by region. In the German part of Switzerland, people usually eat meat fondue (thinly sliced meat in bouillon) or pork fillet wrapped in puff pastry.

Many people eat smoked ham with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut. In the Italian part of the country, the main entrée usually includes some fish, be it salmon, octopus, or cod.

Swiss drink mulled wine throughout the entire holiday season – it’s sold in Christmas markets, grocery stores, and bars, and many people make it at home.

Apart from lebkuchen, traditional Swiss Christmas desserts include amaretti, chewy almond-flavored biscuits originating in Italy, anise cookies, and Basler Läckerli, hard spiced cookies with honey and candied peel.

Baumstriezel is popular at Swiss Christmas markets – it’s a dough wrapped around a stick, grilled, and topped with walnuts and sugar. Rolled pastry with poppy seed, fruit, or chocolate filling is widespread in the German part of Switzerland.

Chocolate kisses are marshmallows covered with chocolate, the favorite treat of tourists and kids. Another must-try treat for any tourist in Switzerland is roasted chestnuts, a perennial staple of the Swiss menu.

Panettone is a type of Swiss Christmas cake of Italian origin. It’s taller and fluffier than British Christmas pudding but is also made with dried fruit and spirit.

Beetroot Lanterns & Other Decorations

The Christmas season in Switzerland begins with a beetroot lantern parade. The lanterns are called Räbeliechtli, and kids usually carve them in schools or at home with their parents. Despite apparent similarities, the tradition isn’t related to Halloween.

The tradition celebrates the last harvest of the year. Children walk around the town with lit lanterns, singing traditional Swiss songs.

Although beetroot lanterns have no connection with Christ’s birth, they are among the most popular decorations in Swiss homes throughout the Advent season.

Of course, the Swiss also decorate Christmas trees, hang garlands on fireplaces, and adorn their homes with twinkling fairy lights. Public places set up extravagant festive displays featuring Christmas characters.

Most Swiss prefer real Christmas trees to artificial ones and either get them from the forest or buy them at local markets.

Gift Exchange

Samichlaus only brings kids treats for Saint Nicholas Day, while the title of the main Christmas gift-giver belongs to Christkindl.

Christkindl was introduced by German theologist Martin Luther in the 17th century as an alternative to Santa during the Protest Reformation.

Luther’s goal was to draw attention to the initial meaning of the holiday, and Christkindl, translating as “Christ child,” was a representation of Jesus. Traditionally, Christkindl is depicted as a blonde angel-child in a white robe.

Swiss children never see Christkindl – parents say that if anyone sees him, he will never come back.

Swiss parents announce Christkindl’s departure by ringing a small bell. Typically, Christkindl leaves the gifts under the Christmas tree or in stockings.

The Swiss typically exchange gifts with immediate family members but send cards to extended family and friends.

Ice Skating & Building Snowmen

Winters in Switzerland are snowy, so ice skating and building snowmen top the list of favorite Swiss Christmas activities. Many locals strive to escape the city rush and head to the mountains to ski.

Locals and tourists preferring passive recreation can relax in natural thermal baths, ride the Bernina express train through picturesque mountains, or visit one of the numerous Swiss Christmas villages.

Midnight Mass

Like many Catholics, the Swiss attend a Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Typically, Midnight Masses in Switzerland begin at about 10 p.m. to let everyone get home earlier to feast with family.

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