Culture + Myths and urban legends

Culture + Myths and urban legends

essay

Switzerland has a culture, are a mixture of the cultures of Germany, Italy and France. The combination of cultural, linguistic, culinary, musical and literary influences from these three nations has led to the creation of a Swiss culture that is a synthesis of elements.

The Swiss don’t have lots of myths or urban legends that influence your culture but the Swiss people are known for their warm heartedness and love of life. They celebrate many festivals in Switzerland with great gusto and tourists are welcome to join in while traveling in Switzerland. Many towns and villages have a feast day in honor of a local saint. There are also harvest festivals to celebrate the gathering of seasonal crops including fruit and wine. These secular festivals are a celebration of the bounty of the Swiss countryside. Christmas is a grand celebration in Switzerland when young and old celebrate this festival of brotherhood.

However for Swiss, William Tell is a hero, he became a symbol of Switzerland's national pride and independence. Tell's feat of archery supposedly took place around 1300, when Switzerland was under Austrian rule. The independent-minded Tell refused to salute an Austrian official, who then ordered Tell to take the nerve-wracking shot. Afterward, the official spotted a second arrow. Tell said that if his first arrow had missed, he would have used the second one to kill the official. As punishment, Tell was sent to prison, but he escaped and killed the Austrian official. This act inspired the rebellion that eventually ended Austrian rule in Switzerland. Some accounts name Tell a leader in that fight. For this reason, William Tell first appeared in legends and songs of the 1400s. By the 1700s, various Swiss histories featured the story.