Berchtolds Day in Switzerland in 2025

Berchtolds Day in Switzerland in 2025
  How long until Berchtolds Day?
Berchtolds Day
  Dates of Berchtolds Day in Switzerland
2025 Jan 2
AargauThu, Jan 2Regional Holiday
BernThu, Jan 2Regional Holiday
FribourgThu, Jan 2Regional Holiday
GlarusThu, Jan 2Regional Holiday
JuraThu, Jan 2Regional Holiday
LucerneThu, Jan 2Regional Holiday
NeuchâtelThu, Jan 2Regional Holiday
ObwaldenThu, Jan 2Regional Holiday
SchaffhausenThu, Jan 2Regional Holiday
SolothurnThu, Jan 2Regional Holiday
ThurgauThu, Jan 2Regional Holiday
VaudThu, Jan 2Regional Holiday
ZurichThu, Jan 2Regional Holiday
2024 Jan 2
AargauTue, Jan 2Regional Holiday
BernTue, Jan 2Regional Holiday
FribourgTue, Jan 2Regional Holiday
GlarusTue, Jan 2Regional Holiday
JuraTue, Jan 2Regional Holiday
LucerneTue, Jan 2Regional Holiday
NeuchâtelTue, Jan 2Regional Holiday
ObwaldenTue, Jan 2Regional Holiday
SchaffhausenTue, Jan 2Regional Holiday
SolothurnTue, Jan 2Regional Holiday
ThurgauTue, Jan 2Regional Holiday
VaudTue, Jan 2Regional Holiday
ZurichTue, Jan 2Regional Holiday
2023 Jan 2
AargauMon, Jan 2Regional Holiday
BernMon, Jan 2Regional Holiday
FribourgMon, Jan 2Regional Holiday
GlarusMon, Jan 2Regional Holiday
JuraMon, Jan 2Regional Holiday
LucerneMon, Jan 2Regional Holiday
NeuchâtelMon, Jan 2Regional Holiday
ObwaldenMon, Jan 2Regional Holiday
SchaffhausenMon, Jan 2Regional Holiday
SolothurnMon, Jan 2Regional Holiday
ThurgauMon, Jan 2Regional Holiday
VaudMon, Jan 2Regional Holiday
ZurichMon, Jan 2Regional Holiday
2022 Jan 2
AargauSun, Jan 2Regional Holiday
BernSun, Jan 2Regional Holiday
FribourgSun, Jan 2Regional Holiday
GlarusSun, Jan 2Regional Holiday
JuraSun, Jan 2Regional Holiday
LucerneSun, Jan 2Regional Holiday
NeuchâtelSun, Jan 2Regional Holiday
ObwaldenSun, Jan 2Regional Holiday
SchaffhausenSun, Jan 2Regional Holiday
SolothurnSun, Jan 2Regional Holiday
ThurgauSun, Jan 2Regional Holiday
VaudSun, Jan 2Regional Holiday
ZurichSun, Jan 2Regional Holiday
2021 Jan 2
AargauSat, Jan 2Regional Holiday
BernSat, Jan 2Regional Holiday
FribourgSat, Jan 2Regional Holiday
GlarusSat, Jan 2Regional Holiday
JuraSat, Jan 2Regional Holiday
LucerneSat, Jan 2Regional Holiday
NeuchâtelSat, Jan 2Regional Holiday
ObwaldenSat, Jan 2Regional Holiday
SchaffhausenSat, Jan 2Regional Holiday
SolothurnSat, Jan 2Regional Holiday
ThurgauSat, Jan 2Regional Holiday
VaudSat, Jan 2Regional Holiday
ZurichSat, Jan 2Regional Holiday
  Summary

The holiday commemorates Duke Berchtold V, who founded Bern, the capital of Switzerland.

  Berchtolds Day in other countries
Berchtolds Day internationally
  Which regions observe Berchtolds Day in 2025?
National Holiday Regional Holiday Not a public holiday Govt Holiday

When is Berchtold's Day?

Berchtold's Day ('Berchtoldstag') is always celebrated on January 2nd. It is not moved to a working day if it falls on a weekend.

This day is a public holiday in the following cantons: Aargau, Bern, Fribourg, Glarus, Jura, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Obwalden, Schaffhausen, Solothurn, Thurgau, Vaud, Zug, and Zurich.

History of Berchtold's Day

Berchtold's Day commemorates Duke Berchtold V of Zähringen (d. 1218), who founded Bern, the capital of Switzerland, in the twelfth century.

According to legend, he left on a hunt declaring he would name his fledgling city after the first animal he killed. The hunting trip was a success and the Duke managed to kill a bear, or bern in German.

Despite many references to the day as St. Berchtold's day, he wasn't a saint (certainly not to bears anyway). We are just so used to holidays in Europe being named after saints, that many people have automatically canonised the Duke.

How is Berchtold's Day celebrated?

Handily placed in the calendar, by the ever-practical Swiss, to give an extra day to enjoy or recover from the New Year's celebrations, Berchtold's Day is a light-hearted, family-orientated celebration.

Nuts

Though it's hard to see the immediate connection with killing a Bear, nuts form a large part of the celebration. Perhaps an explanation is that the Duke managed to kill a Squirrel rather than a Bear, and his exploits have become exaggerated during the intervening centuries?

Eating nuts and nut games, followed by singing and folk dancing are features of Berchtold Day gatherings.

Traditionally children will begin to hoard supplies of nuts in early autumn for Berchtold's Day, when they have a "nut feast".

One favourite game of the children is to try and make "hocks." You need five nuts to make a hock - four nuts placed close together, with a fifth placed on top. This feat of nut engineering may appear simple, but is surprisingly difficult to construct and maintain.

Though the author favours the Squirrel theory and would endorse the immediate re-naming of Berne as 'Eichkätzchen Stadt' (Squirrel Town); the nut element, like most holiday traditions, was most likely appropriated from a much older winter custom, when food such as nuts stored from the autumn harvest, would have been treats eaten to celebrate the turning of the seasons and that spring was now closer than Autumn.

Some sources say the holiday’s name comes from the word “berchten,” meaning “to walk around, asking for food.” On this day, folks exchange pleasantries and good wishes for the New Year. 


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