The burning discs of Matt
To this day, the Schybefleuge seems to have lost none of its fascination. It has been described time and again in newspapers, books, in the various editions of the Glarus Heimatbuch (local history book), which is used in school lessons, and even on television. Since 1941, three burning discs have been the emblem of the municipality and now the village of Matt.
From old rags and cleaning threads
The Schybefleuge undoubtedly has a certain air of mystery about it, as it is still exclusively reserved for Matter boys and is carried out in secret, so to speak. No spectators are allowed near the fireplace, and even after the last disc has been sent on its way, the boys remain together until late at night. Sausages are grilled, mineral water or a ‘Kaffischnaps’ are drunk, and the odd cigarette is smoked. The Schybefleuge is preceded by important preparatory work: in autumn, the older boys fell a fir tree, saw and split the wood, and carry it to the fireplace. A two-metre-long board is used to make the so-called ‘Schybelade,’ the launching ramp, which slopes slightly towards the valley. Seating is also provided. Christmas trees collected in January add to the stack of firewood. Each boy also obtains several long hazel sticks and saws finger-thick discs or slices from a small ash tree trunk, with a hole drilled in the middle. Earlier reports mention square, slightly rounded discs, but these are said to be more difficult to handle. A torch made from old rags, cleaning twine, and a stick or hazel rod, and standing about a metre high, completes the equipment of a ‘Schybebueb’.
Drawing light circles into the night
On the Sunday evening of the carnival, in even-numbered years, each of the two groups, led by their respective ‘chief’ and his deputy, sets off for their own fire site: the older children (from the 5th primary school class to the 3rd secondary school class) gather at Mutten, a rocky outcrop some 250 metres above the valley, while the younger children (from the 1st to the 4th primary school class) meet on the opposite side of the valley at the so-called ‘Chnüü’. Meanwhile, several residents of the village, as well as spectators from other villages and holidaymakers, have gathered at the bottom of the village and are taking turns to look up at one side of the valley or the other. The younger children start to swing their torches a little below the ‘Chnüü’ first. A little later, the woodpile on the fire site is set alight. The older Schybebueben, who have positioned themselves on the opposite slope, halfway up to Mutten, are waiting for this signal. They light their torches and draw circles and figures of eight in the night sky. Finally, they too make their way to the meeting point, the fire site on Mutten, where they are awaited by the chief and his deputy, who have already lit the fire. Each boy takes a first slice of wood and holds it in the fire. If it burns, each one swings his torch and, as he swings it, the well-known dedication is heard for the first time:
Schybe, Schybe, überrriibe
Die söll em X Y ids Nescht ineflüüge.
Names can be added to this saying at will, and the saying can also be easily modified according to the popularity of the person mentioned. When the door is slammed shut, the burning disc is released from the hazel stick and flies into the darkness. Some discs ‘trail like comets with glowing tails and descend in a wide arc. Others conjure up a magnificent trail of light that snakes across the night sky for several seconds.’ Some skilled flyers even manage to catapult the disc 30 to 40 metres into the air. ‘Crashes’ do occur, but this is not too serious, as every boy has a whole arsenal of discs at his disposal. Around midnight, the ‘chief’ swings his own disc, the so-called ‘Zwölfifackel’ (twelve-o’clock torch), to signal the end of the schybefleuge for all primary school pupils. While the spectators in the valley return to their homes, the secondary school pupils in Mutten start the second part of the schybefleuge. In their shelters or ‘hütten’ covered with tarpaulins and protected from the worst of the cold and snow, the boys sit behind their food and drink, some of which has been provided by sponsors. They pass the time chatting and occasionally letting a disc fly. However, even the most persistent ones like to crawl back into bed in the early morning.
The images and texts from the book «Lebendiges Glarnerland» About Glarus customs, festivals and traditions were kindly provided by the Baeschlin Verlag. They were written by Susanne Peter-Kubli and photographed by Sasi Subramaniam. Many thanks!
