The "Escalade" Festival

This celebration, which takes place every 12th December, commemorates the attempt of the invasion by the French in 1602.


At that time, Geneva had proclaimed its independence from its sovereign, the Duke of Savoy, and had become a republic. But the Duke, who did not recognise that fact, decided to send an army to attack Geneva to make it submit again under his command. For that attack, the Duke chose the longest and darkest night in the year: the 12th of December which is the Winter solstice. And so did they...

As Geneva was protected by high defensive walls all around, the army of Savoyards had to build some high steps to be able to get into the city. So, they put them on the defensive walls and started scaling up (= climbing up); that's why we call this event l'Escalade in French!


According to a legend, a woman, la Mere Royaume (mother Royaume), heard a noise outside and got up to see what was going on. She looked through the window and saw the army of Savoyards coming into the city. As a reaction, she seized a cauldron of hot vegetable soup and poured it through the window on the attackers..the alert was given! All the inhabitants of Geneva woke up, put some clothes on and fought against the Savoyards.

In the morning, the few Savoyards who had survived the fight were caught and were made prisonners or just hanged in the public place..The inhabitants of Geneva had won the battle and proved to the Duke of Savoy that they were and would remain really independent from that day on..

Nowadays, we celebrate this historical event by wearing fancy dress (to remember the fact that our ancestors just had to put some scraps of clothes on to fight), walking in some parades, singing traditional songs that commemorate the victory of Geneva's people and...we also eat some hot vegetable soup!!

In addition, as we are in Switzerland (= the country of chocolate!), we eat for dessert chocolate cauldrons with marzipan vegetables which have to be broken up by the eldest member and the youngest member of the familiy or group saying at the same time: "Ainsi perir les ennemis de la Republique!" (= And so died the ennemies of the Republic!).


Here you have some kind of chocolate cauldrons filled with marzipan vegetables...so delicious!!