In search of the start of spring in Graubünden

Many people in Graubünden celebrate Chalandamarz on 1 March, a feast to mark the end of winter and to herald the arrival of spring. The name comes from Romansh, indicating the custom’s origins. The tradition has become known outside of Switzerland through the children’s book ‘Schellen-Ursli’ (‘A bell for Ursli’).

A small group of schoolchildren in traditional dress are standing with their teacher in front of the typical imposing buildings in Guarda, ready for their singing performance. The bells in the foreground indicate Chalandamarz. The public can be seen in the background. — Schoolchildren at Chalandamarz in Guarda (1958), (source: ASL-Peer)
© Auftrag Verkehrszentrale, Fotograf unbekannt

Nearly everyone in Switzerland knows ‘A Bell for Ursli’ or ‘Uorsin’ as in the original Romansh version. Generations of children have grown up with the 1945 work, written by Selina Chönz (1910-2000) and illustrated by Alois Carigiet (1902-1985). The touching family story – including impressive illustrations that give an insight into Romansh culture – still appeals to readers today.

The adventures of the little boy from the mountains of Graubünden are now known well beyond Switzerland’s borders. Besides the Romansh and German editions, the National Library’s collection includes translations in French, Italian, English, Chinese, Japanese, Swedish and Dutch, as shown by a catalogue search using the original title ‘Uorsin’. There are even editions in Esperanto and Persian!

The book’s publication in 1945 was timely in an era shaped by ‘Heimatschutz’ (heritage protection) and intellectual defence of the nation. Also, Romansh and its many different dialects had just been recognised as Switzerland’s fourth national language following a popular vote in 1938.

Guarda and Chalandamarz for the Romansh touch

It’s no coincidence that the story is set in a village that looks very much like Guarda in Carigiet’s illustrations. The village was carefully restored between 1939 and 1945 by the regional cultural heritage preservation society (Bündner Heimatschutz). Chönz lived there and Carigiet spent a lot of time there. Chönz’s husband Iachen Ulrich Könz (1899–1980) was an architect and monument restorer in the canton of Graubünden and was responsible for the restoration of the whole village.

The picture shows three cowbells decorated with coloured flowers made of crepe paper. — Decorated bells: central elements of Chalandamarz
© Flurin Bertschinger (2015)

Another key element of the story is the custom of Chalandamarz. There are regional differences, but everywhere it involves a noisy procession of children (in the past comprising only boys) wearing traditional local peasant clothes (blue smock, red neckerchief and often a red pointed cap) with bells and rattles, cracking whips and singing. The noise is supposed to drive out winter and herald the arrival of spring. In the past, the festival would also coincide with local council elections in many places. The custom features in the Inventory of Living Traditions in Switzerland. The website lebendige-traditionen.ch of the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) highlights the diversity of the custom.

Spread, origins and evolution of the custom

The custom is celebrated in Engadin, Val Müstair, the Val Bregaglia, the Val Poschiavo, the Valle Mesolcina, the Oberhalbstein and the Albulatal. It was banned in Celerina for almost 200 years because a pietistic priest in the 18th century was against what he considered the heathen custom of driving out winter spirits. Although the term Chalandamarz (meaning first day or ‘calends‘ of March) refers to the start of the year in the ancient Roman calendar, its history doesn’t date back that far.

Schoolchildren sing Chalandamarz songs wearing blue smocks in front of the village fountain. — Schoolchildren sing Chalandamarz songs. Tschlin (2015)
© Flurin Bertschinger (2015)

Like Romansh, which was originally the predominant language in Graubünden, Chalandamarz increasingly fell out of favour over the course of the 19th century, particularly in areas with growing tourism. However, tourism professionals and heritage protection organisations recognised the value of Romansh culture, and worked to raise the profile of Chalandamarz beyond the region in the 20th century. The Romansh people were happy to support this undertaking and to celebrate their cultural roots.

Suddenly known throughout Switzerland: Chalandamarz in the press

A search in e-newspaperarchives.ch, the portal for digitalised Swiss newspapers, provides evidence of the above. In January 2025, the portal contained 1,387 articles of more than 50 words with the keyword ‘Chalandamarz’. The lion’s share of the articles (1,202) come from media in Graubünden, and the rest from elsewhere in Switzerland. And detailed descriptions of the custom of Chalandamarz are only found outside of Graubünden after the Second World War. So to some extent ‘A Bell for Ursli’ had an effect.