Chalandamarz: an ancient ritual dating from Roman Times.

Chalandamarz is the March first festival in the Endagine region of Switzerland where young people march against winter and welcome spring. In the Roman calander March was the beginning of the New Year. There are still many villages in the Endagine valley that still speak Romansh and celebrate the New Year on March first, as in the Roman Times. This rite is a wonderful way to link the past and present, as if the original events are happening over again. “Calendrical and commemorative rites are ritual events marking particular times of year, or a fixed period since an important event. Calendrical rituals give social meaning to the passage of time, creating repetitive weekly, monthly or yearly cycles. Some rites are oriented towards seasonal changes, and may be fixed by the solar or lunar calendar. Those fixed by the solar calendar fall on the same day (of the Gregorian, Solar calendar) each year (such as New Years Day on the first of January) while those calculated by the lunar calendar fall on different dates (of the Gregorian, Solar calendar) each year (such as Chinese lunar New Year). Calendrical rites impose a cultural order on nature.”