Chalandamarz

What the festival is

The first of March gives the festival both its date and its name: in Latin, Calendae Martis. Villages in the Romansh speaking valleys of Grisons, and in the Italian speaking valleys to the south, treat the day as the opening of a new year in spring. Noise is the way they do it. Bells and song are supposed to drive winter's harmful spirits out and to rouse the kindly spirits that come with spring. For the boys walking the streets it is also a way of belonging to the village, house by house and fountain by fountain.

How the day runs

The round begins a day early in many villages, and continues on 1 March itself. Boys go through the village as a group. They ring cowbells and sing, often stopping at the fountains and stepping inside the older houses to sing there. The column is led by the oldest boys, the ones due to leave school the following year; they are known as Patruns, which means patrons or masters. Girls have usually stayed out of the procession, though in some villages they walk with baskets collecting money, and a few let them carry bells as well. Whip cracking often follows. In the evening there is frequently a dance.

The bells

Each bell has its own name. Talacs are small, and the only sort still hung on cows in the Engadin. Plumpas count among the largest, cast in bronze or brass for a strong sound. Maruns are round, thin steel bells, often black; the biggest measure up to half a metre across. Brunzinas have a familiar shape and a brass ring of their own, and in villages where girls join in they may wear these. Zampuogns are smooth, heavy bronze and brass bells that crack easily, with a thick clapper and a low note. Rolls are wide belts hung with roll-bells, worn by the oldest boys or by senior and junior Patruns. Some villages still use horses to carry the boys to outlying hamlets, and the horses wear rolls too.

Masks and straw men

Bells used to chase winter away turn up in other mountain customs as well: the Perchten and Fasnacht celebrations of Alemannic and Austro-Bavarian speaking regions. At Ftan, in the Lower Engadin, the local Chalandamarz has taken something from Fasnacht, and masks are worn. In Poschiavo and Mesolcina, and once also in Scuol, Tschlin and Innerferrera, a figure of straw stands for winter and is set on fire. What the festival shares across its valleys, then, is the closing of one season and the arrival of another.

Names and places

The name differs from valley to valley. Chalandamarz is the Engadin form, belonging to Vallader and Putèr. Surmiran speakers say Calondamars, Calondamarsa or Calondamarza. In the south, the Lombard forms are Calendamarz and Calentmarz. The festival covers most of the Romansh area: the Engadin, Val Müstair and Albula, known as Surmeir. It was once kept in the Posterior Rhine valley as well. The Italian speaking valleys of Mesolcina, Poschiavo and Bregaglia keep it too. The Surselva lies outside its range. In the Sutselva, villagers at Trin hold a related custom, the Muntinadas.

How Chalandamarz is kept

Work starts a day or two before 1 March in many villages, and the main round falls on the day itself. Boys of the village gather and walk it together with bells and songs, calling at fountains and at the old houses. The oldest boys, the Patruns, lead. Girls take little part, though some villages send them round with baskets for money, and a few have them carry bells. Whip cracking follows the singing in many places, and a dance is often held that evening.

When and where

It falls on 1 March, and the name comes from that date: the Roman calends of March, Calendae Martis. In many villages the bell round starts a day early. The date is fixed rather than tied to the church year, so the festival always opens the month of March.

Chalandamarz belongs to the Swiss canton of Grisons. It is strongest in the Romansh speaking valleys: the Engadin, Val Müstair and Albula, or Surmeir, with the Posterior Rhine valley keeping it in the past. Italian speaking valleys in the south of the canton, Poschiavo, Bregaglia and Mesolcina, keep it as well. The Surselva does not.

What Chalandamarz means

The day is a doorway between seasons. Winter is pushed out with noise, and spring is called in. Ringing bells and singing are understood as protection for the village and as a welcome to the good spirits that the new year brings. Because the boys go from house to house, the custom is also a way for a village to see itself whole, and for the oldest boys to lead before they finish school.

Questions people ask about Chalandamarz

See also

SechseläutenZurich's spring festival marked by guild parades and the burning of a snowman effigyChristmas marketA seasonal street market held during Advent in German-speaking regions and beyond, featuring stalls, food, and crafts.MolybdomancyPouring molten lead or tin into water, then reading the shape as an omenChienbäseA Swiss carnival night parade of blazing pinewood brooms and carts of fire

Good reading and sources

• Chalandamarz on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.