My grandmother lived in Geneva when she was a teenager, and one of the first things she said when I told her I would be studying here was, “Oh, you will love Escalade!” So I knew there was a festival, but I didn’t know what it involved. So imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a whole weekend of marching bands, people wandering the streets in historical costume, horses and torches, everywhere!
Every year on the weekend closest to December 12th, Geneva celebrates Escalade. I knew Escalade existed, and I knew it had something to do with ladders (“escalade” means “climbing”) but I had no idea it was such a big thing. I was walking home from school on a Friday night, and suddenly I couldn’t go any further because there was a giant parade with people in historical costumes, horses, flags, 10-foot pikes, groups of fife-and-drum marching bands and the leaders of Genevan government! I spent the rest of the weekend walking around the Old Town and watching historical pistol demonstrations, eating wild boar roasted on a spit and learning about life in Geneva in the year 1602. And everywhere at night the streets were lit with torches and people (children!) carried giant pots of fire and torches in all the parades and demonstrations.
