– “We don’t like to talk about money at Gwändli”
Fewer and fewer panels are being sewn in-house – too expensive and time-consuming. Not so with the Guggen: their Gwändli involve hard work, sweat and a lot of money.
Published: February 18, 2024, 05:30
On Saturday, 21 Guggenmusiken paraded through the old town with guests like Romis Näbel Horner from Romanshorn.
Bild: Francisco Paco Carrascosa
The fool’s tree is up, Mayor Michael Künzle (center) has handed over the key: For three days and nights, the fools symbolically rule the city of Winterthur. On Saturday the Guggen’s music could no longer be heard, their colorful faces and faces colored the old town.
Kyburggeischter, Eulachschrähner and Bläch Schmelzer: The names have been known in Winterthur since their creation in the 1970s. At that time, a real Guggen music boom hit German-speaking Switzerland, after the Guggen had been known in Basel since the beginning of the 20th century. The Mörsburgschränger and the percussion group Mega Drums joined a little later. The people of Winterthur played in the procession, flanked by Guggen from northeastern Switzerland and one from Disentis, as they walked down Steinberggasse in the drizzle.
New Gwändli every two years
The Guggen are known for their music. But the hobby also includes designing, sewing and decorating Gwändli, says Mario Conconi, President of the Eulachschrähner. “We invest days and nights in our disguise.” But they are also the birds of paradise among the Guggen: “For us it simply has to glitter and sparkle.” Although there are specifications – the style and material must be the same, the coat must go above the knee in one place – but everyone designs their garments individually. And also with different means.
“We don’t like to talk about how much time and money we’ve invested,” says Conconi. That’s just typically Swiss. You don’t boast about it, but you can see the effort put into it. When asked, Conconi still says: He himself invested 1,100 francs: the seamstress asked for a friendly price of 600 francs, the fabric order from Bolli cost 300 francs despite the special price and the Swarovsky stones cost another 200. His own working hours are added to this: 20 hours For example, he spent just decorating with the 3,000 rhinestones.
Marco Conconi is president of the Eulachschrähner, which has around 30 members. Swarovski stones decorate his hat.
Photo: Francisco Paco Carrascosa
Despite the high expenditure of time and money, the Gugge designs a new outfit every two years. “At first they say they don’t have enough time, then everyone ends up sitting at the table all night long doing crafts,” says Conconi. Taking over old Gwändli from other Guggen – there are countless offers on the Internet – is definitely out of the question. “I couldn’t even finish saying this suggestion,” Conconi is certain. “There would just be something missing.”
Costumes from online shops
Unlike the traditional Guggen, many families keep it. “You would rather buy an Elsa princess costume for 20 francs in the online shop,” says seamstress Sonja Weidmann. She couldn’t keep up with these prices. 25 years ago, she sewed up to 80 Gwändli during the carnival season: “People then passed on the costumes or sold them on.” Today she only occasionally sews costumes for customers.
It starts on Sunday at 2:14 p.m big move with over 50 carnival groups on Stadthausstrasse. End and refreshment at Neumarkt. The Children’s parade on Carnival Monday it starts at 2 p.m. in Steinberggasse. The Böögg combustion with fireworks will take place at 7 p.m. on the armory meadow. Further information at fakowi.ch.
Survey at the Guggen parade: What do carnival participants invest in their costume?
How much effort and money goes into a carnival costume? And why is it worth it to the Guggen and other fools? We wanted to know more and asked at the Guggen parade.
Andreas Rüdemann, 55, Winterthur
You do sweat behind the masks. But that doesn’t bother carnival enthusiasts Daniela Boll and Andreas Rüdemann.
Photo: Menoa Stauffer
“I am an original carnival person and was once president of a Gugge that no longer exists. In the harmony there is still a photo of me as a child, dressed as an Indian. We do something every year. My wife and I had the masks made for 225 francs each. We sewed the clothes ourselves. Much of the Wägeli is waste material from construction sites or flea markets. The color, the fabric and the plexiglass are new. Overall, a thousand probably isn’t enough.”
Dominik Mehr, 33 – Guggemusig Eulachschrähner from Winterthur
Dominik Mehr says of himself that he can’t sew. To do this, he invests a lot of money in his Poseidon costume.
Photo: Menoa Stauffer
“You have to be able to afford the Gugge as a hobby. I spent a total of around 2,000 francs on the Gwändli. I don’t like sewing myself, so I paid 1000 francs for a seamstress. For the Swarovski stones, the trademark of our Gugge, another 700. Plus the bill for the trips and the membership fee, that’s around 600. I really wanted to go to a Gugge even as a child. Music is also important to me, but club life is the be-all and end-all for me.”
Miriam and Benny Bachmann (40 and 42), Winterthur
The raven-black couple, Miriam and Benny Bachmann, have been coming to the Winterthur carnival for ten years.
Photo: Francisco Paco Carrascosa
«We always travel together as a couple – for ten years now. We make our costumes new every year. We must have spent 500 hours and at least 1000 francs on this. I worked eight hours a day for three months to achieve this. But it’s worth it to us. Carnival is our religion. Happy Holidays!”
Daniela Rüeger, 53 – Turtalia-Guggenmusik from Turbenthal
Daniela Rüeger knows exactly how much work she put into her costume.
Photo: Menoa Stauffer
“I invested 102 hours in the garment, in the skirt, blouse, jacket… The fabric is provided by the club, and I invested another 80 to 200 francs in the accessories. I have always sewn my costume myself. I’ve been asking myself lately why I go to all this trouble. (laughs) No, Seich, I like dressing up, I love fabric, I enjoy sewing. It’s a time of year where I can disappear, be someone else and let it all hang out.”
Eva Kalt – Giigegugge Züri from Zurich
Eva Kalt (center) from Giigegugge Züri is out and about with wings, a halo and a wedding skirt.
Photo: Jonas Keller
“We all design their own costumes. For most people it takes two days – for some it takes more. It can easily cost a few hundred francs. This year our color theme is white – so I was able to reuse my wedding skirt. Some also go to the Brockenhaus for their costumes. But the best thing for me is making music and making people happy. Not just at carnival – we also have performances throughout the year.”
Robin Brunner, 26 – Guggenmusik Göpfischränger from Glattfelden
Robin Brunner (center) and his bright colleagues work in a team to tailor the Gwändli for the entire Gugge.
Photo: Menoa Stauffer
«How much did we spend? A carnival costume like this is actually priceless anyway! But seriously, we have a group of volunteers making the same costumes for everyone. We spent 14,000 francs on our 30 members. We need around twelve hours per garment. We started in September and were there several days each week. Guggen music is our passion. But the social aspect wasn’t neglected when sewing either.”
Michelle Hauser, 30 – mask group Fälli-Glöggler from Winterthur
Michelle Hauser is with the Fälli-Glögglers, who are known for their real animal fur. Unlike the Guggenvereine, they don’t make music.
Photo: Menoa Stauffer
«I grew up with carnival as a child. Our mask group is like a family to me. Everyone makes the costumes themselves, but not all of them are new every time. All told, it takes me one to two weeks to do it and I spend around 1,000 francs. The furs we use are real and come from hunting – so the animals are not killed specifically for their fur. We get asked that all the time.”
More on this topicYou can listen to the podcast for free and subscribe to Spotify or Apple Podcasts. If you use another podcast app, simply search for “Dialogplatz”.Go Stauffer is editor for the city department. She studied contemporary history and German at the University of Zurich. In her master’s thesis she examined how sexual abuse was discussed in the Catholic Church.More informationJonas Keller is an editor in the City of Winterthur department, for which he has been writing since 2019. He grew up in Winterthur, completed a commercial apprenticeship and studied communication at the ZHAW.More information
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