Knabenschiessen 2020: History and Significance of the shooting competition festival

Knabenschiessen is a traditional shooting competition in Zurich, Switzerland. It for the most part starts on the Saturday before the Federal Fast and goes on until the next Monday. It is a Swiss public holiday which bases on a festival in which the principle segment is a target shooting competition in Zürich, Switzerland.

When is Knabenschiessen?

Celebrated on the afternoon of the Monday after the second weekend in September. Knabenschiessen 2020 beginnings from 12 Sep to 14 Sep.

Knabenschiessen is a traditional shooting competition for teenagers and held on the second weekend of September every year.

Monday afternoon is a holiday seen over the city. Even though this is just a half-day holiday, numerous workers will accept the morning as a holiday to make a long weekend or work from home toward the beginning of the day. If arranging a meeting or business trip to Zürich, our recommendation is to treat this day as a non-working day.

Knabenschiessen: History and Significance

Officially, the festival of Knabenschiessen started in 1889 however the act of having a high schooler shooting competition goes right back to the seventeenth century. During this time, all boys between the ages of 13 and 17 were needed to rehearse their shooting skills throughout the summer holiday. This tradition would finish up with an examination of the boy’s shooting skills in September. In the long run, this tradition would transform into the celebration of Knabenschiessen in 1889. That is the point at which the holiday was composed of a tradition into a full-blown holiday. This was done as an approach to advertise the advantages of joining the Swiss Army to the boys who contended in the competition and for willful cadet training. From the 1920s until the present, this event has been hosted by the Riflemen’s Association of Zürich.

Sadly, boys were the only ones who were permitted to contend in the shooting competition of Knabenschiessen. For the following 102 years, it would remain that way. In any case, that changed in 1991 when girls began to be permitted into the competition. This was incomplete because of the changing attitudes of the time, however, it was likewise done because of a drop in participation too. In 1997, the first female won the competition that year. This female was Rachel Goldschmid and she was 15 years of age at that point.

Knabenschiessen: Customs and Traditions

Today, members who are 13 to 17 years old, and who dwell in Zürich or are taken on a school in the city, can enter the competition. Members enter the competition at Albisgütli, which is in the south-western part of Zürich and is encircled by an enormous fair. During this shooting competition, the members will use a SIG SG 550 Swiss Army rifle to take shots at targets. The candidate with the best score is named “Schützenkönig”, which generally converts into “marksmen king.” About 33% of the individuals who take an interest will get prizes – which are given by private firms and noticeable people in the city. Regardless of whether an individual gets a prize or not is altogether up to the number of points they get.

This shooting competition is at the center of a large fair – which is comparable in size to some of the bigger fairs that are held in the United States or the United Kingdom. At this fair are delight rides and food booths of each sort. A wide range of Swiss foods, and all the more recently street foods, are sold at the food stalls of this celebration – a festival which keeps going 3 days. Some of the foods which are served incorporate pulled pork burgers, Swiss raclette, strudel and cheesecake, and Afghan pasties.