Americans have their day to predict the end of winter and Swiss the Snowman, whose burning guesses how summer will be.

Giant Boeoegg burned down on Devil’s Bridge, in the heart of the Swiss Alps, on Monday, and it’s the first time that Sechselaeuten, the Spring Festival in Zurich, has been held outside of the city, due to COVID-19.

The Holocaust and the Snowman soon burned declaring “Great Summer,” a positive result after the coronavirus pandemic canceled celebrations last year.

Boeoegg is usually cremated in the center of Zurich, but coronavirus restrictions have made it impossible again this year.

To avoid staying for two years in a row without these popular ceremonies, the snowman moved 100 kilometers south of Zurich and settled on the iconic Devil’s Bridge in the Scholenen Strait, a place known for the fierce battles of the French and Russian forces in 1799 during the Napoleonic Wars, near the Gotthard Pass.

Boeoegg – Represents winter devils, usually holding a broom, but given the name of the bridge, this year was using the gallows.

According to local traditions, the time between the moment of a fire that supports it and the explosion of fireworks located inside Boeoegg’s head, predicts what it will be like next summer.

This year’s burning took 12 minutes and 57 seconds, despite the temporary crematorium being exposed to freezing temperatures and winds in the heart of the Swiss Alps.

Although it is a good brand, it is much more than it was in 2003, the year that recorded a strong heat wave. That year, the fireworks took five minutes and 42 seconds to explode.

The time it took to burn this year sparked a debate on TeleZuri, one of the local channels broadcasting the event.

And someone who watched the show predicted, “I think it’s going to be a great summer.”

NOO / VOG / IAL / DL / AF / RSR