Chienbäse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cheinbäse is a Fasnacht tradition of Liestal, Basel-Country, Switzerland.
On Sunday night after Ash Wednesday, the night before the Morgestraich in Basel city, a procession of people carrying burning bundles of pinewood chips (called Cheinbäse, the Alemannic German for "pinewood besom"), in more recent decades augmented with carts carrying bonfires, with flames often reaching as high as the houses, moves through the medieval town center along the Rathausstrasse, entering through the city gate from the south. Thousands of spectators turn out for the parade which not only come from Switzerland as but also from foreign countries around the globe.
The origins of the custom are open to speculaton. Often identified as "pagan spring ritual" due to the archaic qualities of the fire spectacle, the earliest report of a procession of torch bearers dates to 1869. A tradition of bonfires before lent has a longer history of attestation, dating from at least the 16th century.
[edit] External links
- www.chienbaese.ch - Chienbäse Website [German]
