Can any one explain why groups are walking around playing drums? They have just passed our house for the second time today and we have heard them on and off for days. Is this a Swiss new years tradition?

Carnevale started Nov. 11, ends sometime in spring, get used to it!

Tom

Uniformed drummers are walking at night throughout my village as well around my village north of Crissier as well around New Year. No idea...

In some places you will soon start seeing folk wearing witches masks (something more akin to halloween costume in the anglo saxon world) banging drums, pushing people down the street in beds and cracking whips - all sometimes at as early as 5am. Consider yourself warned - it can be alarming if one is not raised a Swiss.

Fear not this marks not the start of a revolution or a breach at the local insane asylum it is instead all part of hundreds years old traditions. I can't begin to explain it for Vaud as every canton seems to have its own peculiarities.