Autumn is the season of harvest, which means not only giving thanks to God, but also taking produce to market and stocking up for winter, with all the razzmatazz that such gatherings entail. Furthermore, St Martin's Day - November 11th - was the traditional date for paying rents, a custom which was often marked with a feast. These elements have come together in many of the festivals celebrated in different parts of Switzerland at this time.

Bénichon

Villages in canton Fribourg celebrate the autumn with a feast known as the Bénichon, which has become chiefly famous for the eating which goes on, although there are also dances, parades and plenty of music.

Chestnut fairs

The chestnut harvest is celebrated in some towns and villages mainly in Cantons Ticino and Valais, where in former times chestnuts were a staple part of the diet of the poor.

In general this takes the form of stalls displaying products made of chestnuts and in some places roast chestnuts are distributed.

Aelperchilbi

Harvest thanksgivings are also held in other places. The festival in Stans, the chief town of canton Nidwalden, is called the Aelperchilbi, and is organised by the Aelper fraternity, originally a body of farmers who pastured their flocks in the mountains in the summer, but few of whose members now work on the land. Celebrations start in the church, piled high with fruit, vegetables and huge mountain cheeses, and continue through the day. After the service everyone is offered an apéritif on the town square. Wild men and women, the butzi, dressed in skins and moss and armed with small trees attached to long poles, chase the children, and throw them sweets. Later comes the parade of floats where themes of local life are displayed.

The festival in Stans takes place on the third Sunday in October, and similar festivals are held in other places in central Switzerland.

Gansabhauet

A unique St Martin's Day custom is held in the small town of Sursee in Canton Lucerne. This is the Gansabhauet, or Beheading the Goose.

A dead goose is strung up over a stage, and competitors are invited to try to behead it. The catch is not only that the sword they use is blunt, but that the competitors are blindfolded and wear a huge sun mask. A red tunic is also part of the costume.

Each candidate is allowed only one swipe; it usually takes up to 10 competitors before one of them manages to decapitate the bird - which he (or possibly she) gets to keep.

Bern's Onion Market

One of the highlights of Bern's year falls on the fourth Monday in November: the onion market, where elaborately decorated onions are on sale. Visitors throw confetti around, and children hit people with squeaky plastic hammers.