Chlauseslä in Unterägeri: in the afternoon the streets belong to the children — parents stay home
Checked at the source: date confirmed · as of 7 October 2026
In the Ägeri valley, St Nicholas begins with a surprising rule: in the afternoon only the children go out. With a wooden donkey on a stick, a cowbell and the call «Holi holi hüü, dä Chlaus isch doo!», they go from house to house — and the parents stay at home so that nobody finds a closed door.
📅 Date 2026 — and status
The date as the society published it for 2026. Where it only states its rule, the date derived from it is shown, marked as calculated.
Chlauseslä Unterägeri
confirmedSaturday, 5 December 2026 · 1 day
- Organiser
- Chlauseslä Unterägeri
It is named after a wooden donkey: the Chlausesel, a carved head hung with ribbons, goes out with the children in the afternoon and with the Rottä groups at night — a custom found only in the Ägeri valley.
Source: To the organiser's page · checked on 7 October 2026
🕐 Start time and sequence
The time as published. With children it matters more than the date.
Start: 17:00
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| Session | Run | Opening hours | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlauseslä Unterägeri | Sat 5 Dec | 17:00 | confirmed |
Calculated from the ConvivaPlus dataset — every row with its own source above.
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Every entry read individually at the organiser's, municipality's or tourist office's source. «Calculated» means the source states a fixed rule; the 2026 date is derived from it and not yet published.
🚋 Route & transport with stop
- Destination
- Dorfplatz Unterägeri
📋 Notes from the organiser
- After 5 pm six Rottä groups go door to door with whips, cowbells and horns; after 9.30 pm they all parade together across the village square.
- In the afternoon (3–5 pm) only children up to the end of primary school go from house to house calling «Holi holi hüü, dä Chlaus isch doo!». Parents stay at home so that no child finds an empty house (chlauseslae.ch).
- At the procession after 9.30 pm close to 200 Chlauseslär circle the village square several times, with the street lights dimmed (chlauseslae.ch).
✨ What makes it unique
What sets this St Nicholas apart from every other isn't in the date.
The name comes from a wooden donkey. The Chlausesel — a carved head hung with ribbons — goes everywhere, with the children in the afternoon and with the Rottä at night. The children hold it up to the window until a small gift appears. The afternoon is theirs alone: a real Chlausesler sets off on their own and the parents stay at home — so that other children don't find empty houses. The little ones stay in their own neighbourhood.
When darkness falls after 5 pm, the older ones take over. You hear them before you see them: cracking whips, cow horns, cowbells growing louder. St Nicholas in bishop's robes, with the dark Schmutzli, goes from door to door, asks for a gift and gives the children a few nuts. In front of the house, the Iffälä bearers in white shepherd's shirts show off their glowing mitres. Six Rottä are out at once; a map on the association's website shows where they are.
After 9.30 pm everyone streams to the village square. The street lights are dimmed, and close to 200 Chlauseslär circle it several times amid bells and whip cracks — before vanishing, almost like ghosts, into the dark. None of this was a given: on 12 December 1760 the council of the town of Zug banned roaming and making a din on St Nicholas night «on pain of the highest penalty». The Ägerital carried on.
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🎯 Tips for the evening
What families should know before the Chlauseslä.
- 1Children: 3 to 5 pm, without parentsThe afternoon is reserved for children up to the end of primary school. Parents stay home and open the door. Little ones stay in their own neighbourhood.
- 2Make the donkey beforehandNo Chlauseslä without a Chlausesel. A local young parents' group runs a donkey-making workshop for children every year.
- 3For the procession: after 9.30 pm on the squareThe joint procession of the Rottä takes place on the village square with dimmed lights. To see the Iffälä, be there.
- 4Have a gift readyIn the evening St Nicholas asks for a gift at the door; the children get a few nuts in return.
📊 Season comparison with nearby places
Where this event falls between the first Sunday of Advent and St Nicholas Day.
Each bar is one event. Dark = this one, light = the nearest. Read only one date and you miss when St Nicholas comes to the next village — sometimes days earlier.
- UnterägeriChlauseslä Unterägeri
🗺️ Nearby — more St Nicholas events
The Chlauseslä is one of 2 Chlausjagen-type events in the ConvivaPlus St Nicholas survey (13 events). Its big sister is the Klausjagen in Küssnacht, with over 1,500 men and more than 200 Iffelen. On the same evening, St Nicholas is carried through Stans.
In 1897 the folklorist Anna Ithen wrote that the Klausjagen survived on a large scale «only in the Aegerithal». All of today's forms are in the St Nicholas calendar.
St Nicholas nearby
❓ FAQ about this event
Answers from the verified dataset — no date carried over from last year.
People also ask
Related questions from our magazine
In Küssnacht am Rigi, with over 1,500 men and more than 200 Iffelen.
In Fribourg, the same weekend.
13 events across Switzerland, each read at its source.
The ConvivaPlus verdict
The Chlauseslä is a rare St Nicholas custom in which children aren't the audience but the performers. For visitors, the evening is best experienced after 9.30 pm on the village square.
The afternoon isn't meant for visitors: it works because the houses are lived in and the doors open.
Freshness note: Times according to the Chlauseslä Unterägeri association's website for 2026.
Check the latest: ConvivaPlus St Nicholas dataset 2026 – Unterägeri →
- ◆The ban of 1760: Zug outlawed the din of St Nicholas night on pain of the highest penalty. The Ägerital carried on.
- ◆More gifts than at Christmas: at St Nicholas, baskets full of presents once awaited children and servants.
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At the Chlauseslä in Unterägeri, parents stay home in the afternoon — so children with their wooden donkey never find a closed door.
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🎅 St Nicholas · 7 October 2026