Chalandamarz

On 1 March the children of Engadin villages put on blue smocks and red caps, hang cowbells of graded size around their necks and shoulders, and walk the streets ringing them and singing - the noise is meant to drive winter out and call spring in, a custom whose Romansh name comes from the Roman calends of March. The largest bells go to the older children, which is the plot of Schellen-Ursli, the picture book in which a small boy climbs to a mountain hut to fetch a bell big enough to lead the procession. The custom is genuinely for the children; adults follow. Every village keeps its own version, and the schools organise it rather than any tourist body.

What you actually see

• Graded cowbells - the largest carried by the oldest children.
• Blue smocks and red caps - the traditional dress of the procession.
• A Romansh calendar custom - the name from the calends of March.
• The Schellen-Ursli story - the picture book built on this competition for bells.

When to go

1 March. A morning - the processions are early.

Honest expectations

It happens on one morning a year and starts early. Each village runs its own; there is no central programme. It is cold. This is a school custom - photograph from the side and do not join the line.

Nearby

Guarda, Zuoz and the other Engadin villages all keep the custom.