May bear - Living custom in Bad Ragaz

Anyone visiting Bad Ragaz on the first Sunday in May will be amazed to see the 'May Bear' romping through the streets of the village. The May Bear is a cone-shaped frame made of beech leaves and decorated with flowers and colorful ribbons. It dances through the streets and alleyways of Bad Ragaz, surrounded by beggars and plumbers. The custom ends with the May bear being handed over to the waters of the rushing Tamina mountain stream from the upper Tamina bridge. For the entire duration of the procession - and beyond, of course - the Bad Ragaz May Bear Fund Association serves refreshments to local and foreign onlookers at the village swimming pool. Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.