One of Basel’s old and unique traditions is the Vogel Gryff ceremony, a vestige of the muster-parade inspections for the citizen soldiers trained by three guild-like societies in Kleinbasel that were responsible for the city’s defense several hundred years ago. On this day, three heraldic figures representing the three Guilds—the Wilde Maa, Leu, and Vogel Gryff—parade through Kleinbasel, accompanied by three drummers, three standard-bearers, and four jesters (Ueli), who collect money for the needy. It starts at 11:00 when the Wild Maa (crazy man) floats down the Rhine on a barge, escorted by his drummers and other entourage. He performs a ceremonial dance with his back stubbornly turned towards Grossbasel. At the Mittlere Brücke, he is met on the Kleinbasel river bank by the Leu (a lion-like figure) and the Vogel Gryff (a half-man-half-bird creature). Each of the three figures has its own characteristic dances that they perform throughout the day in various locations around Kleinbasel as well as on the Mittlere Brücke.

To learn more about the history of this event, check out our article "Vogel Gryff Ceremony."

Website
vogel-gryff.ch

Share Add to Calendar

Advertisement