Google doodle celebrates Switzerland National Day 2022!
- Country:
- Switzerland
Happy National Day, Switzerland!
Google doodle on August 1, 2022, to celebrate Switzerland National Day. On this day in 1291, the three forest cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden signed the Federal Charter and unified in the struggle against Habsburg rule. The charter is Switzerland’s oldest constitutional document and is regarded as the foundation of the country.
The document is one of several dozen pacts attested for the territory of Switzerland in the period of the mid-13th to the mid-14th century. The foundation of the Old Swiss Confederacy had been mostly associated with the Bund of Brunnen of 1315, or with the Rütlischwur, dated to 1307 by Aegidius Tschudi. The Federal Charter of 1291 first assumed great importance in a report by the Federal Department of Home Affairs on 21 November 1889, suggesting a celebration in Bern in 1891 that would combine the city's 700th anniversary with the Confederacy's 600th anniversary. The date of the Federal Charter came to replace the formerly more prominent, traditional date of 8 November Rütlischwur, 1307 in popular consciousness in the 20th century, specifically after the 650th-anniversary celebrations of 1941.
The day of independence is typically celebrated at a local municipality level, though certain events draw nationwide attention. Since the mid-19th century, Schaffhausen has illuminated the nearby 25-meter-high Rhine Falls for special events. Beginning in 1920, the waterfall has been regularly lit for the national holiday, and since 1966 is now lit only for this holiday.
Swiss people commemorate this day with family gatherings, barbecues, and parades. Rütli field, where the Federal Charter was signed, hosts an official celebration where the President of the Swiss Confederation addresses the nation before fireworks and bonfires.
Throughout the country, locals gather in the streets waving flags that represent communities and cantons. Depicted in today’s artwork, the national flag of Switzerland features a white cross on a red field. Today the flag decorates homes, gardens, lanterns, and even food items.
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