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February<br />
'Schlitteda Engadinaisa'<br />
Every year, on a Sunday in January or<br />
February, the inhabitants of Oberengadin<br />
celebrate the 'Schlitteda Engadinaisa'.<br />
The exact date of this village festival<br />
is decided by the 'Guiventüna', a committee<br />
of young men. On this occasion,<br />
the villagers <strong>–</strong> dressed in their traditional<br />
red-and-black Engadin costumes<br />
<strong>–</strong> embark on a two-hour ride through<br />
the snow-clad countryside in festively<br />
decorated horse-drawn sleighs. In the<br />
old days, only unmarried couples took<br />
part in the 'Schlitteda'. A young man<br />
would formally invite his girl to accompany<br />
him on the sleigh ride. Over the<br />
years, this custom has turned into a village<br />
festival for both singles and married<br />
couples alike. The 'Schlitteda Ball'<br />
brings the festivities to a fitting end.<br />
February / March<br />
'Scheibenschlagen'<br />
On the first Sunday of Lent, the young<br />
men of Untervaz leave home at dusk and<br />
make their way up to a place overlooking<br />
the village, each carrying a burning<br />
torch, a long hazel stick and discs made<br />
of beechwood. At the agreed spot, each<br />
of them places his disc on the end of<br />
the stick, lights it with the torch until it<br />
glows red-hot and then propels it from<br />
the starting ramp into the valley below.<br />
As each disc is thrown, the young man<br />
shouts out a dedication to a special girl<br />
or unmarried woman. Afterwards, there<br />
is a torchlight procession accompanied<br />
by a brass band. Back in the village, the<br />
young men visit the girls, who serve<br />
them food and drink. This ancient tradition<br />
is also celebrated in similar fashion<br />
in the Surselva region.<br />
16<br />
www.rhb.ch/contura
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