Pumpkins, Turnips and Belonging: Making Room for Traditions in Switzerland

As Halloween becomes more visible, newcomers and long-time residents are asking how to share their own customs while honouring the ones already here.

When we arrived in Switzerland 18 years ago, Halloween barely registered. Today the displays at Migros and Coop are hard to miss: pumpkins, plastic skeletons, bags of sweets. For some families they promise costumes and an excuse to meet the neighbours. For others, particularly Swiss residents who find a stranger’s child at the door on a dark evening an intrusion, they are a source of mild irritation. Trick-or-treating is not a Swiss custom, and not everyone is ready to hand out sweets to children they have never met.

Switzerland, it turns out, has its own answer to the jack-o’-lantern. At the Räbeliechtliumzug, held in November in parts of German-speaking Switzerland, children walk through the dusk carrying hollowed-out turnips, carved and lit with candles. Turnips were once a staple crop, and the processions are a celebration of the harvest. For a family used to carving pumpkins, it is an easy way into local life.

The resemblance runs deeper than vegetables. Halloween is often traced to the Celtic festival of Samhain, when the boundary between the living and the dead was thought to thin and spirits were honoured, feared or placated. Switzerland has an older custom of its own that faces the other way. Traditionally on 5 December, the eve of St Nicholas, the streets of Küssnacht am Rigi fill with noise as men in tall, illuminated bishop’s-hat headdresses called Iffelen walk in procession with cowbells, whips and horns. Similar Chlausjagen and Samichlaus customs exist across Central Switzerland, and they are widely linked to old winter practices of driving out bad spirits before the darkest weeks of the year.

One custom welcomes the spirits and the other chases them away, but both answer the same old instinct: to meet the long nights with light, noise and company.

So should newcomers embrace the traditions of their new home, share their own, or do both?

Two perspectives

Andreas has family roots in Küssnacht Am Rigi and is not a fan of Halloween. Sarah is an American mother who has recently moved to Zug. We asked them how much these traditions matter and whether they can live side by side.

Andreas, what concerns you about Halloween becoming more visible?

“I don’t mind children dressing up or enjoying sweets. What worries me is that the shops give Halloween so much attention, while our own traditions depend on families, schools and volunteers keeping them alive.  We already have wonderful celebrations for children. At the Räbeliechtliumzug they carry lanterns they have helped to carve. Halloween seems to be more commercially driven than traditional. The sight of children with huge plastic buckets of sweets is not a great message, are they encouraged to eat them all? For me I prefer to carve a turnip and join my community to walk through the town, maybe enjoy a slice of home baked cake at the end. Later there is Klausjagen, which means a great deal to my family. I would like newcomers to discover these traditions and understand why we care about them.”

Sarah, why does keeping Halloween matter to your family?

“My children have left their friends, their school and almost everything familiar. Dressing up and trick or treating gives them something to look forward to that they recognise. We aren’t trying to turn Zug into America. But moving abroad shouldn’t mean leaving every family tradition behind. I hope we can share a little of where we come from while learning about our new home.”

Andreas, could the Räbeliechtli help bring families together?

Absolutely. Inviting someone to carve a turnip with you is a simple way to start a conversation. The children have something to do together, and the parents get to know each other. Local traditions stay alive when people take part. I would much rather invite a new family along than complain that they don’t know about them.”

Sarah, would your family join in?

We would love to, but I never knew whether we were allowed or whether it was only for local children. My kids would understand the fun of carving something and putting a candle inside it straight away. Sometimes we hesitate because we don’t know how things work. Is the procession organised by the school? Can anyone come? Do we need to bring a lantern? A neighbour explaining those small details makes joining in much easier.”

Andreas, would you accept an invitation to celebrate Halloween?

“ha mm Perhaps, with a little encouragement. Yes, as long as it is an invitation and not an expectation. Some people enjoy welcoming trick-or-treaters and others would rather have a quiet evening. Both should feel comfortable. I would happily admire the children’s costumes, but nobody should feel pressured to hand out sweets.”

Making room for both

There is space for a carved pumpkin in October and a candlelit turnip in November. Enjoying one takes nothing away from the other.

For newcomers, the first step is to ask. Find out when the local Räbeliechtli takes place, how to join, and who is organising it. If you plan to trick-or-treat, agree with participating neighbours beforehand and leave households that prefer a quiet evening alone. A lit pumpkin on the doorstep is a widely understood sign that visitors are welcome.

For long-standing residents, the most useful thing is an invitation. “Would you like to come with us?” may be all a new family needs to hear.

Experience a local tradition this autumn

For details on the processions you can visit the official Räbechilbi website.

Küssnacht Klausjagen, Friday 4 December 2026. The main procession begins at 20.15. The tradition is tied to 5 December, but this year that date falls on a Saturday, so the main event is held the evening before. See the official programme and route.

For something smaller and closer to home, ask your school, municipality or parents’ association about local Räbeliechtli processions.

At Alliance Relocation, we believe settling in means building these everyday connections. Keeping something of home and embracing something new can happen together, perhaps over a kitchen table covered in pumpkin seeds and turnip peelings.

Which Swiss tradition would you introduce to a new neighbour, and which tradition from home would you share?