Festive Days in September and October in Switzerland
by Petra Coleman, IB2
As summer fades and autumn arrives, Switzerland comes alive with festivals, traditions, and holidays that celebrate history, faith, and the harvest season. In the Valais region, especially, September and October are full of colorful and lively events that highlight local culture and bring communities together.
One important national holiday in September is the Federal Day of Thanksgiving, Repentance, and Prayer, observed on the third Sunday of the month. It is a day that reflects Switzerland’s Christian roots, encouraging families to gather for church services, meals, and reflection. Although it is a quiet day across the country, it remains meaningful for many Swiss families, including those in Valais.
September also marks the désalpe des vaches, the traditional descent of cows from the alpine pastures to the valleys for winter. In Valais, villages like St-Martin and Evolène host festive parades where cows are decorated with flowers and large bells. This event is not only practical—bringing livestock down before the snow— but also symbolic, celebrating the importance of farming and alpine traditions. Local cheese, wine, and music make the désalpe a true community celebration.
In early October, Valais celebrates its strong wine-making culture with harvest festivals. The Fête des Vendanges (Wine Harvest Festival) in towns like Sion or Fully brings people together to taste new wines, enjoy local food, and take part in parades and music. The grape harvest is central to life in Valais, as the region is one of Switzerland’s most important wine-producing areas. Visitors can often join guided walks through the vineyards or attend opencellar days, where winemakers proudly share their craft.
Another special October event in Valais is the Chestnut Festival in Fully. This festival honors the chestnut, once a staple food in the region. Streets are filled with stalls selling roasted chestnuts, local products, and crafts. Music, dancing, and games create a warm and welcoming atmosphere, drawing visitors from across Switzerland.
Finally, autumn in Valais is also marked by many smaller village fairs and celebrations, each with its own character. These events bring together the themes of harvest, gratitude, and community spirit, reminding everyone of the close bond between people, nature, and tradition in the alpine valleys. Together, the September and October festivals of Valais highlight the richness of Swiss culture, where history, agriculture, and community are celebrated in the heart of the mountains.
Autumn edition
by Donatienne Peninck, IB2
Holidays are moments that bring people together and give us time to celebrate culture, family, and tradition. Around this season, many different holidays are taking place across the world. Each one has its own customs, but they all remind us of the same human values: unity, gratitude, and the importance of community.
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One of the most beautiful celebrations is the Mid-Autumn Festival, held in China, Vietnam, and other parts of East Asia. Families gather under the full moon, which is seen as a symbol of reunion and peace. They eat mooncakes, which are sweet pastries with rich fillings, and children carry colorful lanterns in the evening. The atmosphere is warm and filled with light, creating memories that connect generations.
In Jewish tradition, this period is marked by Sukkot, a sevenday holiday. Families build small huts, called sukkahs, to remember how their ancestors lived in the desert after leaving Egypt. People often eat meals inside the sukkah, and some even sleep there. At the same time, it is a harvest festival, where people show gratitude for the food they have and for the protection of God.
India and many Hindu communities around the world celebrate Navaratri and Durga Puja during this time as well. These festivals honor the goddess Durga and are characterized by vibrant colors, lively dance, music, and prayer. Later in October or November comes Diwali, known as the Festival of Lights. This is one of the most famous holidays in India, where houses are decorated with lamps, fireworks fill the sky, and families gather to exchange gifts and sweets. The meaning of Diwali is the victory of light over darkness and good over evil, which is a message that people everywhere can appreciate.
In the Western world, the most well-known holiday of October is Halloween, celebrated on the 31st. Children dress in costumes, knock on doors, and say “trick or treat” to receive sweets. Streets are decorated with pumpkins, ghosts, and other spooky symbols. Although Halloween is now seen mostly as fun and playful, it has old roots in Celtic traditions like Samhain, which marked the end of harvest and the beginning of winter.
This season is also a time of national pride in many countries. On October 3, Germany celebrates Unity Day, remembering the moment when East and West Germany became one nation again in 1990. In China, October 1 is National Day, which marks the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The day is celebrated with parades, fireworks, and public events. On a global level, the United Nations celebrates UN Day on October 24, which is a reminder of the importance of peace and cooperation between nations.
Although these holidays are very different in history and tradition, they share one important feature: they connect people. They encourage us to spend time with family, reflect on our values, and celebrate the things we have in common. Whether it is the light of Diwali, the lanterns of the Mid-Autumn Festival, or the costumes of Halloween, each holiday shows that joy, hope, and togetherness are universal.
A Game of Chess
A short story by Alex Onu, IB2
In the quiet of the library, dust particles swirling through a shaft of light, not a soul stirred; the books stood tall on their shelves, the chairs sat tucked under their desks while the librarian dozed at his, and the chessboard, illuminated by the beam, was in chaos, pieces tipped and scattered about the floor, as if a wild storm had torn through the room
The doors to the library opened with a quiet swoosh, revealing a boy in school uniform, fresh from class, who entered quickly, letting the door shut behind him. He looked around for a moment, his eyes fixating on the chessboard Passing the sleeping librarian, he gathered each piece that lay on the floor, settling down in front of the board. With care, he placed each piece in the correct position, aligning each one just so. Each piece placed on the board lulled his mind, until he began to slip into another world. The silence of the library dissolved into clouds, through which an awe-inspiring sight emerged:
An expanse of isles lay above the clouds, some blooming with life, some burning with rot and decay evidence of battles past. Below one isle, the clouds swirled aside, unveiling the land like a god revealed to its followers A smiling maw of earth released a column of darkness that surged skyward, racing to collide with the isle. In response, the sun raged, a flare of light a blinding retaliation that shot forth; shadow and brilliance clashed in the air above the isle.
The floating isle, the destined warground, shook, the convergence creating shapes, figures of black and white on opposing sides of the isle. Ranks of men and women angelic and demonic stood across from one another, readying for war once more.
The boy placed the last piece atop the board, breathing a sigh of relief as he twisted it front-facing First came the pawns, E2 to E4, E7 to E5, and the board kept moving, advancing pieces back and forth, black and white.
The two armies advanced, the central divisions charging into one another in a clash of steel. Sparks flew into the eyes of angels and demons alike, serving to further ignite their fury in their foe.
The boy dragged a knight F3 to D4 capturing a black pawn; the isle darkened as the sun above was blotted out by a winged horse, smashing down onto the demonic division The Pegasus decimated its ranks, its lance-wielding rider tearing through hellhound and imp alike, its magical light vaporising enemy shadowspawn.
His glory didn’t last long, however, as a demonic knight rose to challenge it. Astride a molten Fenrir it swung its bident at the knight; he narrowly dodged, his plumage tore, but his head remained intact. “Malakar,” he called, teeth bared in hatred. “Do me the honour of a duel, coward!”
“Says the one who decimates our ranks with slimy sneak attacks,” the serpent-tongued reply came. “But I acquiesce, Cael of Winged-Light.”
“Malakar of Molten-Death,” Cael snorted, beginning the duel.
Bident met lance in a flurry of attacks, enough to scare any lesser warrior as sparks danced across the battlefield. Cael caught the bident with lance in his right, preparing a barrage of light to incinerate his foe; Malakar leered, his bident melting into magma and slipping past the lance, reforming and tearing its way toward the angel’s open chest Hexagonal light erupted before Cael’s chest, a shield against the incoming strike.
A smirk formed on his face.
The bident shot back to defend but light struck first, sending Malakar backwards, his Fenrir wounded
“A cheap shot,” he called, stung in flesh and in pride. “One worthy of scum like you,” Cael chided. “True…” Malakar nodded. “At least I know how to act!”
A startled whinny erupted from below Cael as the Pegasus swayed violently. It stumbled, face-first toward the ground. Quick as thought, Cael vaulted into the air, narrowly avoiding the shadowy tendril born from the Pegasus’ fallen form, summoned by a hidden hand behind Malakar
With wings of pure light and fury in his heart, Cael hurtled toward the spiteful demon, intending to rend him asunder.
A bolt of lightning struck the angel; his wings of light flickering, falling before Malakar
“You of all people should know demons don’t fight fair!” Molten-Death cackled as Winged-Light breathed his last.
The boy dragged the white knight off to the side, then brought forth a white bishop from C1 to G5 a contest between bishop and queen.
To the right of the main battle stood an old man, robed in white and gold. His mitre gleamed like a shard of sunlight, and the matching sceptre in his hand pulsed with a serene, commanding light He raised his sceptre, pointing it down the lane, toward a tall, demonic woman. Holy fire gathered at its point, growing larger and larger within seconds, till even the sight of the woman was obscured. Squinting slightly, the bishop commanded the orb reform Faithfully, it lengthened, coalescing into a bolt.
“Die, Demon-Queen Arenella.” He whispered, letting go of the firebolt.
The woman stared at the bolt that barrelled towards her, taking a slow blink, seemingly unworried. Only a moment later she had met the bolt halfway, a single claw-like finger splitting it in twain
Within the next instant she was upon the bishop, aiming to cleave him to pieces with her obsidian nails. Hand raised, she struck down, a confident gleam in her eyes.
Unfortunately, it seemed she had underestimated the Holy-Fire Keeper, her strike deflected with a deft motion of the sceptre.
“Demon-Queen,” the old voice croaked, “you are far too young and far too inexperienced to kill me.” She struck once more, yet that too was mitigated with a simple wave of the hand.
“And your arrogance shall be the death of you, Gehenna!”
Five strikes. Ten. Twenty. Then a hundred her hands blurred in a furious dance of claws. Yet Gehenna moved with equal invisibility, each flowing arm quelling the whirlwind of her wrath.
For that fleeting instant, sparks rained like Neptune’s diamonds, and even the pawns seemed to hesitate just long enough to glimpse the splendor of the duel before chaos reclaimed the battlefield.
Arenella disengaged from Gehenna, her breathing turning shallow and the gears in her mind whirring so fast they became like a locomotive, churning out steam He too took pause, his breathing quaking in his chest.
“Those old bones shall be your demise,” Arenella chuckled, “My Liege wills it, so it shall be done.”
“Perhaps,” The Holy-Fire Keeper sighed, “but do not be so cocky, my dear. The battle is not over until one of us lays dead on the floor.”
They charged forth once more, holy fire in Gehenna’s left, sceptre in his right, Arenella’s nails outstretched.
Her attacks came with a renewed energy ’My King has blessed me,’ she realised one Gehenna had not foreseen. A blade of holy fire grew from his sceptre in an attempt to meet her claws, to slice them clean off, but they cut through the formless fire, hardened by this blessing, and found purchase in his beating heart.
Gehenna’s eyes widened, his breathing stilled; the holy fire of his sceptre flickered, dying out. The boy removed the bishop from the board.
She released a breath, and with it, the tension in her body. She did not even notice as a division of lesser angels moved towards her, swords, axes and magic poised to finish her Arenella was slain a moment later; the Demon-Queen toppled with a dull thud, soaking the blackened ground with amethyst blood. Her final thoughts lingered, full of shame at having disappointed her liege.
A shiny, sleek automata began to move about the grounds, its glowing gold eye turning blue as it lay eye on ant-sized demons. Arms as thick as ancient oak, so long as to reach across the battleground swung left and right, sending demon and angel flying off the side of the isle; its feet were elephantine, wide enough to flatten swathes of demonkin—a sole imp survived its attacks, running away from the colossal terror.
In response, a black golem rose from the corner of the battlefield, lava dripping between its cracks; it soon stood against the automata. The gold eye turned blue; the purple eye turned red.
Across the field, Malakar fell, cackling as he went. Down too came Zalthron, Thunder-Bringer, slayer of Cael of Winged-Light. White surged against black; the end seemed nigh.
The Angel-King, wizened yet august, 6-winged and golden-haloed, rose from his throne of sunlight, raising a wrinkled palm to order the battlefield
Before his presence could be validated, however, the smiling maw of earth released a second beam of darkness, pure malice made manifest, to infuse the imp with limitless power, the imp that had crawled from the automata in the midst of war to the edge of the isle, touching the throne of sunlight.
The sun seethed, but could not act
The Angel-King backed away, feeling the depth of evil that permeated its being; watched as the imp contorted in on itself to become an orb, reforging its very essence. The creature grew to stand taller than the Angel-King, of reptilian design with leathery wings the dragonoid towered over the enemy leader, Demon-Queen against Angel-King, before her spiny tail sunk itself deep into his abdomen, ripping upward and shattering the halo.
She spat out an ear-rending cry, manifesting at the side of the Demon-King, kneeling and resting her head upon his lap. At her touch, he rose, commanding the battlefield to freeze.
His gaze swept the field, piercing orange eyes peeking out from a helm of trident-like points rising from its brow, wreathing his body in swirling, shadow
Demons genuflected right hands to their hearts as his sight crossed over them, while the angels seemed to crack, turning into flakes of ash
The boy placed a finger on the white king’s crown, knocking it over. He stood up and walked away as it rolled off the board.
