The hills are alive with Swiss cows
First, the sound of cowbells and yodelling.
Then the guests emerge from the green hills: Swiss brown cows with bells as big as their heads, accompanied by little white goats and cowherds in traditional red-and-yellow costumes.
Here in the village of Urnaesch and across much of Switzerland, crisp fall days mean it’s time to welcome the cows that have been grazing in high Alpine pastures as they return to the lowlands to beat the snow.
The ceremonies, known as Alpabzug, Alpabfahrt or the Desalpe, are one of many cultural rites that still mark the seasons in this country of deeply rooted agricultural traditions.
The event has also become a tourist attraction, with the train from Zurich full that morning for the 90minute trip.
The celebrations happen throughout September and October, but they vary from valley to valley — not surprising given the deep regional distinctions bred by impassable mountains.
But the region where Urnaesch is located, Appenzellerland, is particularly fascinating.
Although Swiss women won the right to vote on the federal level in 1971, Appenzell’s two sub-cantons, or localities, were the last in the nation to concede women a vote in1989 and1990. One sub-canton, Appenzell Innerrhoden, remains the last place in Switzerland where local issues are still decided by open-air voting.
In Urnaesch, the cow-welcoming processions followed a firmly established order. First came a young boy in yellow leather lederhosen, an embroidered red vest and knee-high white socks, then a little girl in a striped frock, tending a flock of tiny white goats, then aherdsman in full traditional garb matching the boy’s, plus a black hat festooned with flowers and elaborate metalwork decorating his suspenders, pipe or watchchain.
Then came the cows deemed most perfect in body and milk production, bearing the heavy clanging bells on colourful, intricately worked leather collars.
Finally, the yodellers: four farmers walking side by side in red and black outfits. Their singing kept the animals together and moving down the mountain. The rest of the herd followed, capped by a farmer leading the bull and a cart with carved wooden moulds and implements used in butter- and cheesemaking.
The region is no longer dependent on cattle for survival, and modern comforts like indoor heating have softened the impact of weather. But the rituals that have set the rhythms of life for centuries here remain important markers of identity to many Appenzellers, said Erika Kist of the Museum for Appenzeller Traditions.
The hike from the limestone flanks of the craggy Santis mountain took most of the day.
Once the cows were through, piglet races commenced and food stands sold beer, fruit cordials, dried or cured meats, and sausages sizzling on grills.
The redolent Appenzeller cheese was everywhere, and the smell of it roasted to melting drew a long line of fans for raclette — bubbling, crusty cheese scraped onto slices of bread. It’s another tradition that clearly has a long life ahead.