Taking part in Swiss traditions ❤✨

Each year, the citizens of Geneva take part in the tradition of smashing a chocolate marmite (cauldron). This annual tradition is a tribute to a historical event that took place in 1602 whereby the people of Geneva summoned their courage and defended their city against an attack from the Savoyards.

Decorated with the city’s colours — red and yellow, the cauldron also features its coat of arms.

 

It is tradition for the youngest and the oldest member of the household to smash the marmite together, which for Louis Degallier 56 is Taisiia & Sakura! 🤝🎁✨

 

The History behind the tradition… ⭐

The attack of the Savoyards on Geneva took place during the evening of December 11, 1602. That night, when the soldiers arrived and the church bells sounded the alarm, the citizens of Geneva took it upon themselves to stop the invasion. Legend has it that Mère Royaume, a woman who was cooking a pot of soup, threw her cauldron and its scalding contents out the window to prevent the enemy from advancing. Although a rather violent act, it symbolises the spirit of the Genevois during this battle. Regular citizens taking the initiative to protect their city! And, succeeding! To honour the occasion, chocolatiers in Geneva began creating cauldrons that are made of chocolate and filled with sweet little marzipan versions of Mère Royaume’s vegetables. The cauldron tradition apparently did not become established until the 1880s.

 

It’s wonderful for our students to learn about the rich culture of Geneva. And of course, they get to enjoy the chocolate after 🍫

Winter Ball 2023

An enchanting Winter Ball where laughter echoed, dance floors sparkled, and students had an absolute blast! ✨❄️ A night filled with good fun, lots of laughs, and unforgettable moments.🌟

The boys before leaving the House ready for a night of fun!

Fete de l’Escalade and the Famous Marmite

Tonight we celebrated ¨Escalade¨ a traditional Geneva festival that celebrates the victory of the Geneva Republic against the Savoy’s Army in 1602. Each year we buy a chocolate marmite full of candies to celebrate this tradition where the youngest and oldest in the House smash the marmite to get the sweets inside. 

Hamza and Didier are about to smash the Marmite.

 

Boarding Awards Ceremony

Tonight we had our Boarding Awards ceremony for Semester 1. There were Boarding Life, Activities and Academics awards.

The Activities Award goes to the students who show excellence by making the most of the endless opportunities in terms of evening and weekend activities, and who push and challenge themselves to new heights and achievements. Rodrigo received this reward.

 

The students who get The Boarding Life award represent the identity of Boarding through their commitment towards others, respect for the rules, sense of community and positive energy. Hamza received this reward.

Gingerbread House Competition 🏆🎄🏡

This weekend, the girls in Louis Degallier created a Gingerbread House masterpiece that will compete in the final House Competition of the year ⭐

Polina, Daria & Sangeetha worked together on this project, each bringing their own unique style and flare to the decoration, watch the video below to see the process ⭐

Half way through the task, a friendly dog appeared in our garden! We managed to get hold of the owners who picked him up, but we were very grateful to look after him for a short while 🐶

Well done girls for your efforts, the house looks amazing and we are very proud of your decorating skills! 🤩

Montreux Christmas Market 🎅🎀🎄

Today we visited the famous Montreux Christmas Market and had a wonderful time looking at all the traditional festive gifts and tasting traditional Swiss food 🍭🍫

As you can see, we were extremely lucky with the bright blue skies, however, the temperature was a chilly 3 degrees so the girls found an indoor cabin to enjoy some hot drinks and warm homemade soup ready to start shopping again 🥣🧀

Surrounded by beautiful snowy mountains, right on the shore of Lake Geneva, Montreux is a wonderful town to visit, especially on a day like today 🌞❄

We even got a wave from Santa Claus who was making his way up and down the Christmas market 🎅⭐

All in all, it was a lovely day filled with lots of festive spirit 🎄🎀⭐

 

Gingerbread House Competition

Besides our normal activities we also prepared our Gingerbread House for the upcoming Competition:

It all starts small…

… grows bigger…

… gets in shape… …gets some color……even more color… …and here it is: our Gingerbread House!!! Wish us luck for the Competition and stay tuned for the result!!