Pschuuri

On Ash Wednesday, Splügen resembles an anthill. Schoolchildren and single girls appear in every nook and cranny, disappearing into the darkness in no time at all. The "Pschuurirolli", the single lads wrapped in skins, their ash sacks full, chase after the youngsters.

The hem roll, a leather belt with spherical bells that the "Maschgärä" (masks) have tied around their hips, gives them away and gives the victims a small head start, which is usually not enough. Girls and children with soot-black faces then run around the village as if they were chimney sweeps by profession.

They all have to be "pschuuret" (blackened) by sunset. The recipe for the black ash mixture is a well-kept secret known only to a small group of insiders. In the evening, the picture changes. The dreaded ones, now disguised as "Mannli and Wibli", go from house to house, where they beg for eggs. When visiting the villagers' houses, "Mannli and Wibli" remain masked and disguise their voices until the landlord recognises the youngsters.

It often happens that the begging couple disappear in the dark, unrecognised, with the loot they have taken. The collected eggs are used to make egg salad and "Resimäda", a drink made from wine, eggs and other ingredients. These delicacies are served from midnight at the "egg feast". According to tradition, these egg dishes and drinks are intended to strengthen the marriageable youth and promote the fertility of this generation and that of the fields.

Procedure

• In the morning, the pre-school children and first and second graders dress up and go from house to house in groups, begging with the slogan "Pschuuri, Pschuuri Mittwuchä, äs Eischi oder äs Meitschi". They receive sweets, mandarins, nuts or a sausage. They return home at lunchtime.
• At 1 pm, the "Pschuurirolli", also known as "Maschggerä" (masks), appear in the alleyways and try to blacken the faces of as many unmarried girls and children as possible until sunset.
• From 7 p.m., the boys, together with the members of the Jungmannschaft who arrive later, collect eggs, which are used to make egg salad and the traditional drink "Resimäda". The girls, locals and guests are invited to the party in an old barn.
• At midnight , the "Maschggerä" lay their larvae, the egg feast begins and the party goes on until the early hours of the morning.