Eierläset

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The “Eierläset” is an ancient spring custom designed to drive away winter, which is still practised today by local gymnastics clubs in numerous communities in the cantons of Aargau, Solothurn and Basel-Landschaft. The custom, which centres on transporting as many eggs as possible as quickly as possible, is carried out in different ways in different localities. In the villages of Basel-Landschaft, the focus is on playful competition between gymnastics clubs, groups of children and recreational teams. In other places, a runner or rider representing winter competes against an egg collector representing spring. The aim is for the egg collector to gather up all the eggs laid out on a track covered with sawdust before the runner or rider has completed the specified distance. If the runner or rider representing winter is going too fast, corrective action is sometimes taken to ensure that the egg collector representing spring is sure to win. In a few communities in the canton of Aargau, there are variations of the egg race with elaborately designed figures such as the “Schnäggehüsler”, the “Stächpälmler” or the “Eierpfarrer”. These also represent winter or spring, or they act as representatives of public order in the wild battle between the two groups. Eierläset usually ends with a festival for the entire village population, where the eggs are prepared in various ways and the approaching spring is celebrated.