These pastries are among the harbingers of Lent. Generally, they can only be found during what is loosely described as Carnival season, occurring at different dates around Switzerland. These light and crunchy delicacies flavored with powdered sugar are traditionally sold from the day after Christmas until the morning of "Morgestraich" (the best translation I can find is "morning call").
Two of the most famous carnivals in Switzerland are the Basel Fasnacht, which runs from the Monday after Ash Wednesay to Thursday of the same week, and the Lozärner Fasnacht in Lucerne. The Lucerne carnival dates for 2010 are 11-16 February and the celebration in Basel runs from 22-24 February. While there can be smaller celebrations from canton to canton, the dates usually fall either the week before or the week after Ash Wednesday. The roots of the carnival tradition are disputed. According to some, carnival was inspired by a mixture of pagan spring festivals, Christian rites and secular folk customs. In some cantons, the celebration is based on pagan traditions of using fearsome masks to chase away evil spirits. Carnivals as they are celebrated in Switzerland today usually date back no further than the 19th century even though they were previously celebrated in medieval times. The medieval carnivals were often considered subversive by the authorities. So, for some centuries, they were banned altogether.
As in many areas of the world, carnivals in Switzerland are full of fun, noise, masks, costumes and music as the "last hurrah" before the Lenten season sinks in. These tasty little pastries are a reminder that the season is nearly upon us.
No comments:
Post a Comment