Bärentag – The Feast of a Bear

Date: 12th of January

Location: Basel, Switzerland

Description:
A new ritual, the “Bärentag” (Feast of the Bear) was founded in 1998 in Basel (Switzerland). This happened in the context of the medieval, but still nowadays very popular feast of “Vogel Gryff” (grifin). In contrast to the traditional feast characterized by somewhat exclusive, partly patriarchal and elitist elements, the Baer-feast is open to everyone, in particular immigrants, women and children and puts its focus on solidarity and social integration.

In addition to organizing the Feast of Baer, the Bear association (Baerengesellschaft) is involved in many local projects aimed at integration and good coexistence in the Lesser Basel district, which traditionally has a high proportion of immigrants.