Our Écureuil Boarding House is ready to celebrate a holiday today !!
The Jeûne Genevois is a public holiday specific to Geneva. It falls on the Thursday after the first Sunday in September. On this special day, the people of Geneva traditionally eat prune tart.
The practice of fasting could be observed in the Swiss cantons as far back as the 15th century. The Diet, an assembly of the representatives of the cantons in place until 1848, organised penance and thanksgiving days. Each canton could decide what form these fasts would take.
The origin of the Jeûne Genevois dates back to the first fast recorded in Geneva, at the beginning of October 1567 following the repression of Protestants from Lyon. From 1640, fasting was seen as a moral and religious act and became an annual practice at the initiative of reformed cantons. It was seen as an act of humility and solidarity with the poorest members of society.
