It’s that time again – early in the morning, downtown Bern smells of onions, cheesecake and lots of mulled wine. The confetti on the floor reveals: It’s Zibelemärit.
The Märit officially opens on the fourth Monday in November at six in the morning. Visitors often flock to the stands as early as 4 a.m. and warm their hands with the first cup of the winter classic.
“Drinking a mulled wine every half hour is the best,” says Philipp (30) from Bern to 20 Minutes. The fact that the sun hasn’t even really risen yet doesn’t seem to bother the Bernese too much. He’s not the only one – you see steaming mugs and one or two red noses everywhere.
“The mulled wine is more important than the onions,” says a group of students who treat themselves to a mulled wine before the first lecture. “But two cups are enough for us.” Nick (23) from Bern thinks mulled wine is just as important as the onions. “I already ate onions and drank mulled wine today. The Zibelemärit starts with a lot of fun in the morning and gets more and more fun as the day goes on.”
For most of those surveyed, getting up early is also an important part of the Zibelemärit tradition. “It’s just a matter of coming here early in the morning. After that the day is still open,” says Nik. “The atmosphere is so nice, especially when it’s dark at first and then slowly gets light,” says Steven (34) from Bern.
Almost 34 tons of onions are for sale at the Zibelemärit this year. According to a press release from the city of Bern, these are offered at 101 of the 430 market stalls. The record from 2014 with almost 60 tons of onions clearly could not be broken this year.
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