Zibelemärit (the onion market) is a traditional folk festival in the City of Bern that takes place every year on the fourth Monday in November. Farmers bring around thirty tons of onions and garlic into the federal capital, and sell them on the innumerable market stands set up on the Bundesplatz square and in the narrow streets between the Zytglogge and the train station. The range on offer includes the traditional braided onions, flower arrangements, decorations and figures sculpted from onions. Other market stands offer seasonal vegetables, bread, hot mulled wine (Glühwein) and souvenirs. The ceramics trade is represented too, providing a reminder of the Chacelimärit, an earlier market for the famous peasant-style pottery from Bern. The onion market evolved from the St Martin’s Day market of the Middle Ages and now attracts more visitors than any other traditional event in the canton, with crowds flooding the area from 5 am. The restaurants in the area serve traditional savoury onion tart, cheese tart and onion soup. The market is also well known for the confetti fights that take place. There are a number of legends relating to the origins of the market. Folklorist Rudolf J. Ramseyer believes that it dates back to the mid-19th century and that it represents the remnants of the St Martin's fair, an event which lasted two weeks.
Zibelemärit: Onions © Bern Tourismus
Zibelemärit: Onions © Bern Tourismus
Zibelemärit: Onions © Bern Tourismus
Zibelemärit: Onions © Bern Tourismus
Zibelemärit: Onions © Bern Tourismus
Zibelemärit: Onions © Bern Tourismus
Zibelemärit: Bundesplatz © Bern Tourismus
The Merkur shop window during the 1933 Zibelemärit, photo by Carl Jost © Fotobestand Carl Jost, Staatsarchiv Bern
Zibelemärit in 1930, photo by Carl Jost © Fotobestand Carl Jost, Staatsarchiv Bern
A little girl sitting on a huge pile of onions (Bern, 1926) (Bern, 1926) © Unbekannter Fotograf/Staatsarchiv des Kantons Bern, FN DG7
The traditional onion market is held each year on the fourth Monday in November (Bern, 2017) © kultur-projekte.ch
In 2017 the market hosted 648 stands – 83 applicants were turned down due to lack of space (Bern, 2017) © kultur-projekte.ch
Onions are sold at 171 stands (Bern, 2017) © kultur-projekte.ch
Onions of all colours (Bern, 2017) © kultur-projekte.ch
Three market stands featuring Bernese ceramics provide a reminder of the Chachelimärit, a former market for local potters (Bern, 2017) © kultur-projekte.ch
The savoury onion tart is a traditional feature of the onion market (Bern, 2017) © kultur-projekte.ch
Tens of thousands of visitors from all over Switzerland come to Bern on this day (2017) © kultur-projekte.ch
There are also lots of people – young and old – in Münstergasse (Bern, 2017) © kultur-projekte.ch
The confetti fight has not even started yet (Bern, 2017) © kultur-projekte.ch
Fun with confetti (Bern, 2017) © kultur-projekte.ch
Children love the plastic hammers; adults, not so much (Bern, 2017) © kultur-projekte.ch
Just under 57 tonnes of onions were sold in 2017, a little less than the record of 60 tonnes set in 2014 (Bern, 2017) © kultur-projekte.ch
The head organiser of the 2017 onion market in Berner Bär, Bern’s weekly newspaper of 28.11.2017 © Berner Bär
Detailed description
Zibelemärit (PDF, 304 kB, 07.10.2024)Ausführliche Beschreibung
Category
Canton
Video
Contact
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