What were the stories of Switzerland’s holidays past? A look through the archives reveals tales of tradition – some controversial – as well as a surprise or two. A bright Christmas On December 24, 1999, the year that swissinfo.ch came into existence, we reported that nine out of ten Swiss households put up a Christmas tree, with most preferring real candles rather than electric bulbs. In 2008 we wrote that candles not only illuminate trees in family homes but also in many churches, even though open flames are banned in public places where more than 100 people can gather. The article stated that candles caused some 1,000 fires a year. Electric bulbs may save property and even lives, but they don’t save money. That was the story in 2010, when our reporter in Zurich found that Swiss light decorations use nearly 100 gigawatt hours of electricity – the equivalent of the annual electricity costs for 25,000 households. A traditional Christmas If a study concluded at Bern ...
