Woldmanndli

On the Saturday of Chilbi weekend (Chilbis are town fairs held in many Swiss towns and villages), dozens of Woldmanndli (men of the forest) take part in a procession from Gurschenwald to Ander-matt, accompanied by a cacophony of cowbell ringing and hooting goat's horns. The tradition appeals simply as a spectacle, but its significance is also derived from a historical interpretation which since 1397 has linked the noisy procession with the maintenance of the nearby protected forest. According to the main historical narrative, the Woldmanndli represent the workers and day labourers who used to maintain and protect the local forest, the Gurschenwald, for the benefit of the village community – although small, the forest is vital for protection against avalanches. The tradition has become noticea-bly more popular in recent years. In 2004, observers counted only 25 Woldmanndli, but by 2010 the number had risen to around a hundred. Since that time, their number is stable.