"raebeliechtli-umzug"

carve a beet (large turnip), put a candle in and carry it around town with all the other kids and parents of the neighborhood.
we call this "raebelichtli umzug", an old tradition in to give thanks after the last harvest of those beets.this festival of light at the time of the martini festival has its origin in the rural thanksgiving for the harvest of the last fruits of the field before the coming winter.

now we still carve those beets, not quiet like jack o lanterns... still hollowing them out is the same process, except we leave less thick walls. the design is not carved all the way through, but only cutting out the skin (the colour of the beet) and so the light shines through brightly.



the one in the back is of course the one Amos carved, he wanted to carry it on wires. this worked well and the lid is also stabilized with one of the wires poked through.
the futuristic one with the "cold" light was elias' pride. he wanted to carve something different, and had the brilliant idea of using a knog light (usually we use them on our bikes at night). of course it hat to flash, not just be steady...


after the 30minute walk around town all the kids got a hot dog and punch, this was exciting enough to have a very happy walk home and happily give thanks for the nightly hike with friends and lanterns!