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Swiss folklore is used to describe a collection of local stories, celebrations and customs of the alpine and sub-alpine peoples that occupy Switzerland. The country of Switzerland is made up of several distinct cultures including German, French, Italian as well as the Romansh speaking population of Graubünden. Each group brought their own folklore traditions with them. Switzerland has always occupied a crossroads of Europe. While Switzerland has existed as an alliance and country since 1291, the Swiss as a culture and people existed well before this time. Before the Swiss, the region was occupied by Pagan and later Christian Germanic tribes which would become the Swiss. Before the Germanic peoples, the region was occupied by Roman and Gallo-Roman populations. Finally, before the Romans the Celtic Helvetii lived in what would become Switzerland. In addition to conquest, Switzerland has been a crossroad of Europe since at least the Roman Empire. Constant movement of cultures and ideas into Switzerland has created a rich and varied folklore tradition. The study of folklore (Folkloristics) is known as ''Volkskunde'' in German. The study of Swiss folklore originates in the 19th century. The central figure of its academic development is Eduard Hoffmann-Krayer, who founded the Swiss Society for ''Volkskunde'' in 1896. ==Folklore and customs== * Barbegazi, a small white furred man with large feet. Helpful and shy they live in the mountains and are rarely seen. * Berchtoldstag, festival in honor of Berchta or Berchtold * Berchtold, white cloaked being, leader of the Wild Hunt * Böögg, or bogeyman, of the Sechseläuten festival * Dwarfs, the little hill or earth men. Described as happy and helpful, they raise cattle and produce magical cheeses〔() 〕 * Dragonet "little dragons" tales originated in Switzerland during the Middle Ages. * Eis-zwei-Geissebei, a fasnacht event for children in Rapperswil * Fasnacht (or Fastnacht), pre-Lenten carnival〔 * Kobolds, called 'Servants'〔 * Jack o' the bowl is a house spirit of Switzerland for whom a bowl of sweet cream may be left out.〔 * Perchta (or Bertha, Berchta, "The Shining One"), Germanic goddess, and white cloaked leader of the Perchten who drive bad spirits away, and female leader of the Wild Hunt. January 6 is her festival day. * Perchten, those followers who work with Perchta. Also the name of their wooden animal masks. * Samichlaus leads a donkey laden with treats and toys for children. * * Schmutzli, St. Nicholas' sooty helper (see Companions of Saint Nicholas) * The Singing Fir Tree, a Swiss fairy tale * Bäregräubschi and Chöderchessi, traditional wedding presents in the Simmental (Bernese Oberland). The former being a kind of fork symbolising the male element in the wedding. The latter being a magical bucket symbolising the female part. Reported in an Italian anthology of Alpine culture in the 1860s, it is unknown whether this custom is still in use〔POPOLI DEL MONDO USI E COSTUMI. Europa. MILANO VALLARDI S.D., 1913, p. 26.〕 * Schnabelgeiss, a tall goat with a beak in Ubersitz * Tatzelwurm, a cat with the hind-end of a serpent with no hind legs. Allegedly photographed by a Swiss photographer named Balkin in 1934. * Treicheln * Chlausjagen * Ubersitz * * Huttefroueli (or Greth Schell), an old woman who carries her husband on her back * Tschäggätä〔(Customs and Traditions in Switzerland ) accessed 20 May 2008 〕 * Vogel Gryff (the Griffin Bird) * The ''Rääbeliechtli'' or "turnip light" are hand-carved lanterns from turnips. The turnip is hollowed out and designs are carved into it, which are lit by a candle in the turnip. The children of the villages then walk through the streets of their town with the lanterns and sing traditional songs. The custom originates with thanksgiving traditions at the end of harvest in November. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Swiss folklore」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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