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The evening of December 24 is when Christmas is celebrated in Switzerland. This evening is usually an evening where families are together, and on which small children get to see the decorated and lit tree (mostly with real candles) in all its splendour for the first time, complete with wrapped gifts underneath. Traditionally, children in Catholic areas were told that the presents were brought by the Christkind (German), Le petit Jésus (French), or Gesu Bambino. But probably these days children are just as familiar with the character almost universally recognized as Santa Claus. The name Santa Claus comes from Sankt Nikolaus or Saint Nicolas (an early Christian bishop from Myra in present-day Turkey, the protector of children). This friendly figure does not play a role at Christmas, but appears on December 6, the Patron Saint's Day. In the Swiss German part, he is known as "Samichlaus" and he visits homes and schools, distributing sweets, fruits and nuts to well-behaved children and giving good advice to the less well-behaved. In Switzerland, he is not accompanied by a reindeer, but very often by a donkey and a dark-clad assistant. The children assume that they come from the snowy mountains.
Meat and poultry are a Christmas staple and have been since medieval times. In many parts of French-speaking Switzerland, turkey stuffed with chestnuts appears for Christmas dinner.
In Neuchâtel, it may be served with endives baked in cream (Chicorée Neuchâteloise), while in Geneva it usually comes with “gratin de cardons”, made from cardoons, which are a type of artichoke. Another popular dinner, at least in German-speaking Lucerne, is an enormous "Pastete" (a pastry shell) bought at a bakery and then filled at the table with a rich mixture of veal and mushrooms in a cream sauce. |
Tree decorated for Christmas in Zürich | 
Glühwein stand at a Christmas market in Zürich | 
Christmas market in Zürich |
Christmas tree decorated with crystals | 
Christmas decoration in Zürich | 
Christmas tree with Swarovski crystals |
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