I love this Swiss National Day because it is a total Swiss cultural experience - from the aesthetics, to the entertainment, the food, and the friendliness of the community. When the 1st of  August comes around, Swiss flags of all sizes decorate the streets, windows of houses, and flower boxes. As it is in summer, the weather is usually good, with blue skies, flowers in bloom and the grass is still green on farms .

Since I moved to Switzerland, I have never missed any Swiss National Day celebrations and I always spend it with my partner’s family and their closest friends. We all gather together at a hut on a farm in the Rhein Valley in the canton of St Gallen. They sing local songs and play local instruments. Most of the conversations are in their dialect, but they always talk to me in English as I do not speak it. From the beginning, I really felt welcomed.

Food is something I look forward to on this occasion. We typically bring our own meat to put on the BBQ. Family members also bring salads and desserts to share. There is always plenty of alcohol around.
The hut is close to a creek. Some of us swim in it while others watch people floating down it in their inflatable boats. The day is long and fun, with lots of chitchat, eating and drinking. Before heading back to our respective homes, we watch the fireworks.