Watch The Böögg Burn

Monday April 11th is Sechseläuten in Zurich and for most companies in the city, is a half day public holiday.

Traditionally, it is the celebration of the end of Winter, with the culmination being the burning of the Böögg, a snowman perched atop a huge bonfire.

The burning

The burning of the Böögg snowman is said to determine the quality of the Summer to come. The bonfire is lit from below and once the flames reach the snowman, the excitement in the very large crowd grows.

The Böögg's head is filled with explosive and the shorter the time between the lighting of thebonfire and the exploding of his head, the better the Summer will be.

In 2010, his head exploded in 12 mins 54 seconds.

More information is available on the official Sechseläuten website and via Sechseläuten. You can even get your own mini Böögg at home!