The Random Mind: Vogel Gryff

Vogel Gryff

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On Saturday we watched along with all other Baselonians, the small festival called Vogel Gryff. It was interesting for sure. According to myswitzerland.com, here is a small back story to the legend:

"Late in the morning of a wintry day in January - alternately January 13, 20 or 27 - a raft with a very strange crew floats down the River Rhine. There are two drummers, two men carrying big flags, and two cannoneers, who repeatedly fire gun salutes. But the most important figure on the raft is a masked savage carrying an uprooted pine tree. He makes some dance steps constantly facing Kleinbasel, the city on the right bank of the River Rhine.

Just below the Mittlere Brücke (the middle bridge) the savage is met by two other strange creatures: a lion dancing on his hind legs and a griffin with an awesome beak. At noon, the three figures dance on the bridge both jointly and alone to the sound of drums. They carefully avoid looking towards Grossbasel, to the left of the Rhine, or to cross the boundaries to this section of town.

Wilder Mann (the savage man), Leu (the lion) and Vogel Gryff (the griffin) are traditional symbols or symbolic figures of three Kleinbasel societies. In earlier days, they served military and political purposes. Now, they are part of social life and help to strengthen community ties in the small district of Kleinbasel, eager to distinguish itself from the larger district on the left bank. The symbols as well as the processions - which used to happen spontaneously on different days - date back to the sixteenth century. Since 1841, when the societies moved their headquarters to the same building, the three celebrate together on the day allocated to the society presiding that year. Celebrations continue with a festive lunch for all members of the societies. In the afternoon and evening, the symbolic figures resume dancing in the streets of Kleinbasel."

Here are Wilder Mann, Leu, and Vogel Gryff arriving on the raft alongside the drummers, two cannoneers, and men carrying flags.

(Their raft is the one with smoke)

The Cannoneers firing the cannons.

If you look carefully you can see what looks like a pine tree in the middle of the raft. That is Wilder Mann.

Getting ready to leave the raft to continue their ritual dancing through the streets of Klein Basel.

The end of the ritual dance happens here on the Mittlere Brücke.

All of the children we super excited to see the dance.

This building signifies the border between Gross Basel and Klein Basel. Wilder Mann, Leu, and Vogel Gryff make sure to not pass the border and never look in Gross Basel's direction. I'm not sure why.