Winter in Switzerland

'''''L'Escalade, or Fête de l'Escalade''''' (from escalade, the act of scaling defensive walls), is an annual festival in Geneva, Switzerland, held each December commemorating the defeat of an attempt to conquer the Protestant city-state by the Catholic Duchy of Savoy in 1602. The celebrations and other commemorative activities are usually held on 12 December or the closest weekend.

annual marathon in Switzerland

Berchtoldstag (also Bechtelistag, Bächtelistag, Berchtelistag, Bärzelistag, in Liechtenstein Bechtelstag, Bechtle) is an Alemannic holiday, known in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is near New Year's Day, during the Rauhnächte, in Switzerland nearly always on 2 January (in Frauenfeld on the third Monday in January), with the status of a public holiday in a number of cantons (AG, BE, FR, GL, JU, LU, NE, OW, SH, SO, TG, VD, ZG, ZH). Its observation is attested since the 14th century, although celebrations were limited after the Protestant Reformation.

thumb|Klausjagen 2011 The Klausjagen ("Nicholas chase") festival takes place in the Swiss town of Küssnacht on the eve of Saint Nicholas Day. The festival, attended each year by about 20,000 people, consists of a parade of around 1,500 participants, and lasts far into the night.