{"id":26462,"date":"2026-03-06T08:54:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T08:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/26462\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T08:54:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T08:54:13","slug":"when-swiss-traditional-customs-offer-up-a-mirror-to-the-ridiculous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/26462\/","title":{"rendered":"When Swiss traditional customs offer up a mirror to the ridiculous\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\""\u00c9chelliers,<\/p>\n

“\u00c9chelliers, F\u00eate des Pailhasses” (Ladder Makers’ Festival), Cournonterral (Languedoc, France) 2025. <\/p>\n

\u00a9 Charles Fr\u00e9ger <\/p>\n

Invited to photograph\u00a0Switzerland\u2019s traditional\u00a0winter\u00a0rites,\u00a0French photographer Charles\u00a0Fr\u00e9ger\u00a0has produced images that\u00a0reflect\u00a0old customs\u00a0while posing\u00a0questions about the present-day.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

This content was published on <\/p>\n

March 6, 2026 – 09:00\n<\/p>\n

The\u00a0thin layer\u00a0of\u00a0snow\u00a0covering the ground\u00a0in\u00a0Teufen,\u00a0eastern Switzerland, is slowly\u00a0melting.\u00a0It\u2019s in\u00a0winter, and specifically on the last night of the year, that this small Appenzeller town comes alive with\u00a0archaic figures known as\u00a0Silvesterchl\u00e4use. Dressed\u00a0in fir branches or straw, some\u00a0of them\u00a0wearing demonic masks,\u00a0these New Year figures\u00a0move\u00a0in groups\u00a0from house to house and sing a peculiar, polyphonic\u00a0\u201cyodel\u201d\u00a0of resonant vowels and syllables.\u00a0\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

But\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0not all.\u00a0Teufen\u00a0is also known for traditions\u00a0native to Romania.\u00a0For\u00a0a\u00a0project\u00a0he calls\u00a0Charivari, renowned\u00a0French photographer Charles\u00a0Fr\u00e9ger\u00a0captured\u00a0images\u00a0in Switzerland\u00a0of carnivals\u00a0and other\u00a0traditional\u00a0rituals\u00a0designed to drive away\u00a0the winter and\u00a0evil spirits. These\u00a0photographs,\u00a0which can now be seen alongside images taken elsewhere in Europe,\u00a0are now on show\u00a0at\u00a0Teufen\u2019s\u00a0Zeughaus\u00a0museum.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Charles<\/p>\n

Charles Fr\u00e9ger <\/p>\n

Courtesy of Charles Fr\u00e9ger <\/p>\n

Charivari\u00a0stands for cacophony and chaos, a term with\u00a0origins in the Greek\u00a0word\u00a0karebaria\u00a0for headache,\u00a0akin\u00a0to the German word\u00a0Krawall,\u00a0or\u00a0riot.\u00a0Fr\u00e9ger\u00a0is interested in\u00a0rites\u00a0that create a state of collective disorder.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

One photograph in the exhibition illustrates this:\u00a0a group of\u00a0men\u00a0are\u00a0strapped into a ladder\u00a0which\u00a0they carry\u00a0crossways,\u00a0the reversal of the rungs\u00a0representing\u00a0the\u00a0reversal\u00a0of the usual hierarchies.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Such customs enable\u00a0\u201ca kind of reset\u00a0for\u00a0the community\u201d,\u00a0says\u00a0Fr\u00e9ger. However, he no longer sees festivals such as\u00a0carnival\u00a0as\u00a0the place\u00a0where everything is turned\u00a0topsy-turvy\u00a0\u2013\u00a0this\u00a0now takes place elsewhere.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, the cathartic function of masquerade\u00a0has\u00a0moved\u00a0to\u00a0social media,\u00a0where\u00a0people use\u00a0avatars or pseudonyms,\u201d\u00a0he says.\u00a0\u201cLike masks, these give people freedoms from the rest of the world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fr\u00e9ger\u00a0is interested in the rituals he photographs as moments of connection between people. He prefers to take\u00a0his\u00a0pictures in\u00a0villages, where small, close-knit groups\u00a0of masked individuals\u00a0come together.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

His\u00a0approach to these\u00a0old customs is that of a collector, an\u00a0approach\u00a0that\u00a0has been compared to that of the late German\u00a0artists\u00a0Bernd and Hilla Becher, who documented industrial buildings with radical objectivity. But instead of\u00a0rigs\u00a0and silos, the Frenchman\u00a0started\u00a0photographing\u00a0uniforms, and\u00a0later\u00a0kept coming back to\u00a0costumes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fr\u00e9ger\u00a0sees his Charivari series as a continuation of\u00a0another one of his\u00a0projects, Wild Man. In it\u00a0he documents the figure of an animalistic man who\u00a0resurfaces\u00a0in various\u00a0forms\u00a0around the world: the\u00a0Tsch\u00e4gg\u00e4tt\u00e4\u00a0in the Swiss canton of Valais, the\u00a0Percht\u00a0in Austria,\u00a0or\u00a0Scotland\u2019s\u00a0Burryman.\u00a0These\u00a0\u201cwild\u201d\u00a0creatures,\u00a0dressed in natural materials,\u00a0in some cases including\u00a0frightening masks,\u00a0lie\u00a0somewhere between devils, bears,\u00a0and\u00a0even\u00a0bawdy goats, as\u00a0seen\u00a0in Romania.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Previous <\/p>\n

Next <\/p>\n

\"Smrt<\/p>\n

Smrt (Death), T\u0159ebi\u010d, Czech Republic (left) and Caretos, Vila Boa de Ousilh\u00e3o, Portugal (right) <\/p>\n

Charles Fr\u00e9ger <\/p>\n

\"Tsch\u00e4gg\u00e4tt\u00e4<\/p>\n

Tsch\u00e4gg\u00e4tt\u00e4 from the L\u00f6tschental in canton Valais, Switzerland <\/p>\n

Charles Fr\u00e9ger <\/p>\n

\"Arkouda<\/p>\n

Arkouda (Bearr), Monastiraki, Greece (left) und Nevesta, Begnishte, Macedonia (right) <\/p>\n

Charles Fr\u00e9ger <\/p>\n

\"S'Urtzu<\/p>\n

S\u2019Urtzu e sos Bardianos, Ula Tirso, Sardinia, Italy <\/p>\n

Charles Fr\u00e9ger <\/p>\n

\"Mascarita,<\/p>\n

Mascarita, Alsasua, Basque region, Spain (left) and Burryman, Queensferry, Scotland <\/p>\n

Charles Fr\u00e9ger <\/p>\n

\"Djolomari,<\/p>\n

Djolomari, Begnishte, Macedonia (left) and \u0160koromati, Podgrad, Slovenia (right) <\/p>\n

Charles Fr\u00e9ger <\/p>\n

\"Mechkari,<\/p>\n

Mechkari, Prilep, Macedonia (left) and Laufr (Jumper) T\u0159ebi\u010d, Czech Republic (right) <\/p>\n

Charles Fr\u00e9ger <\/p>\n

\"Goat<\/p>\n

Goat masquerade, M\u0103n\u0103stira Humorului, Romania <\/p>\n

Charles Fr\u00e9ger <\/p>\n

\"Tsch\u00e4gg\u00e4tt\u00e4<\/p>\n

Tsch\u00e4gg\u00e4tt\u00e4 from the L\u00f6tschental in canton Valais, Switzerland <\/p>\n

Charles Fr\u00e9ger <\/p>\n

\"Sauvages<\/p>\n

Sauvages (Wild men), Le Noirmont, canton Jura, Switzerland <\/p>\n

Charles Fr\u00e9ger <\/p>\n

Caricaturing others and oneself\u00a0<\/p>\n

On his travels through\u00a0Europe,\u00a0Fr\u00e9ger\u00a0repeatedly\u00a0encountered\u00a0caricatured representations of marginalised\u00a0communities\u00a0such as Roma, Jews\u00a0and Black people.\u00a0His position is not one of\u00a0clear\u00a0condemnation.\u00a0For instance, he\u00a0is\u00a0interested in\u00a0the figure of\u00a0Zwarte\u00a0Piet,\u00a0or Black Peter. This traditional figure, who\u00a0accompanies\u00a0St. Nicholas in\u00a0The Netherlands, has long been\u00a0considered\u00a0racist because\u00a0of its\u00a0derisory\u00a0portrayal of\u00a0Black people\u00a0that\u00a0normalises\u00a0blackface.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\""Mourning<\/p>\n

\u201cMourning community for Gidio Hosestoss\u201d, Herisau (Appenzell), 2025. <\/p>\n

\u00a9\ufe0fCharles Fr\u00e9ger <\/p>\n

In Charivari,\u00a0Fr\u00e9ger\u00a0depicts\u00a0figures that he had previously\u00a0\u201ctended to avoid\u201d,\u00a0including\u00a0figures that can\u00a0provoke conflict. Some of the encounters that\u00a0Fr\u00e9ger\u00a0documents in Charivari\u00a0appear\u00a0brutal.\u00a0One example is\u00a0in the\u00a0Swiss\u00a0village of\u00a0Herisau, where a funeral is staged\u00a0every year\u00a0for the fictional child\u00a0Gidio\u00a0Hosestoss,\u00a0who chokes to death\u00a0on a stolen biscuit. His parents, wearing\u00a0grotesque masks,\u00a0follow the funeral procession weeping, and the priest\u00a0delivers\u00a0a scornful sermon.\u00a0\u201cIt seems extremely\u00a0cruel. But I see it\u00a0as an image to ward off evil, as if to protect against death,\u201d\u00a0says\u00a0Fr\u00e9ger.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have a firm opinion on this issue,\u201d says the photographer.\u00a0\u201cBut I am interested in how certain masquerades have been politically\u00a0devalued. How could something that\u00a0even in the 2000s\u00a0represented\u00a0the wonderful\u00a0and childlike\u00a0become a monstrous figure\u00a0in just\u00a0a few\u00a0short\u00a0years?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The exhibition in\u00a0Teufen\u00a0shows several Malanka\u00a0masquerades, which\u00a0are\u00a0celebrated in Ukraine,\u00a0Romania\u00a0and the Republic of Moldova on the night of January\u00a013-14,\u00a0New Year\u2019s Eve according to the Orthodox Julian calendar. Entire village\u00a0populations\u00a0don costumes\u00a0embodying a wide range of symbolic\u00a0characters: the priest, the devil,\u00a0or\u00a0figures reminiscent of\u00a0fallen\u00a0powers, such as the Arnaut, modelled on\u00a0the\u00a0Albanian mercenaries\u00a0of\u00a0the Ottoman Empire.\u00a0There are also\u00a0masks\u00a0representing\u00a0Roma\u00a0stereotypes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The characters in\u00a0Charivari are often caricatures of the foreign, the other,\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0outsider.\u00a0\u201cThere are many\u00a0figures\u00a0in European masquerades\u00a0that\u00a0reflect\u00a0power\u00a0dynamics.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0about confrontations\u00a0between communities,\u00a0and\u00a0memories of invasions and wars,\u201d\u00a0says\u00a0Fr\u00e9ger.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\""N\u00fcnischlingler",<\/p>\n

\u201cN\u00fcnischlingler\u201d, Ziefen (Basel-Country), 2024. <\/p>\n

\u00a9\ufe0fCharles Fr\u00e9ger <\/p>\n

The photographer\u00a0says\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0important to\u00a0give\u00a0space to\u00a0these debates:\u00a0\u201cWe need to revive\u00a0or protect\u00a0our ability to\u00a0caricature in Europe\u00a0\u2013 to satirise\u00a0and\u00a0mock in a world where we can no longer\u00a0poke fun\u00a0at things.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Charivari\u00a0is also a central concept in Basel\u2019s\u00a0carnival.\u00a0During his tour of Switzerland,\u00a0Fr\u00e9ger\u00a0felt most at home at\u00a0the Swiss city\u2019s\u00a0Schnitzelb\u00e4nken,\u00a0musical\u00a0rhyming\u00a0recitals that mock\u00a0everything and anything.\u00a0\u201cI really liked\u00a0the\u00a0jester-like\u00a0aspect of it,\u201d he\u00a0says.\u00a0\u201cI immediately felt\u00a0connected\u00a0with the people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another central aspect for\u00a0Fr\u00e9ger\u00a0is that\u00a0\u201csatire only works if you are willing to make yourself look ridiculous\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He was\u00a0therefore\u00a0particularly fascinated by\u00a0Switzerland\u2019s\u00a0N\u00fcnichlingler: men in long black coats,\u00a0with\u00a0bells around their necks and very tall top hats. Every year\u00a0at 9pm\u00a0on Christmas Eve, they walk,\u00a0ghost-like,\u00a0through the village of\u00a0Ziefen\u00a0in the Basel region. Originally, these figures were meant to scare children, rewarding the well-behaved and punishing the disobedient. Since the 20th century, discipline and silence have characterised the custom\u00a0\u2013\u00a0along with\u00a0a\u00a0competition for the tallest hat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is something megalomaniacal about these hats,\u201d\u00a0says the photographer.\u00a0\u201cAt some point, they had to stop\u00a0making the hats taller,\u00a0because\u00a0they couldn\u2019t\u00a0fit under the power lines\u00a0anymore.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

For\u00a0Fr\u00e9ger, the common thread in his\u00a0Charivari\u00a0exhibition is that people\u00a0expose themselves to ridicule: the mayor runs through the streets dressed as a pig,\u00a0a\u00a0politician sits on a donkey,\u00a0and\u00a0people\u00a0create\u00a0grotesque bodies\u00a0for themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cCharivari\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0just about the\u00a0freedom to drink too much, eat too much and do whatever you want.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0also\u00a0an\u00a0opportunity\u00a0to\u00a0look in the mirror\u00a0and\u00a0see how ridiculous you\u00a0are,\u201d\u00a0he says. \u201cI think that\u2019s what we\u2019re missing right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Edited by Mark Livingston and Benjamin von Wyl. Adapted from German by Katherine Price\/gw.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"“\u00c9chelliers, F\u00eate des Pailhasses” (Ladder Makers’ Festival), Cournonterral (Languedoc, France) 2025. \u00a9 Charles Fr\u00e9ger Invited to photograph\u00a0Switzerland\u2019s traditional\u00a0winter\u00a0rites,\u00a0French…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26463,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[101,8679,98,5610,1918,16088,5089,460,2202,334,41,17],"class_list":["post-26462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-switzerland","tag-article","tag-arts-general","tag-beat-culture","tag-beat-swiss-fine-arts","tag-culture","tag-customs-and-tradition","tag-festive-event-including-carnival","tag-multi","tag-photography","tag-production-type-adaptation","tag-swiss","tag-switzerland"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/116181392601545848","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}