The History and Future of Switzerland’s Annual Autumn Cow Parade

A transhumance in Switzerland my spouse captured by surprise while out for a weekend bike ride. Vaud, Swizerland. May 2020.

At the arrival of autumn in Switzerland, you might be surprised on your drive, bike, or hike by a procession of beflowered cows and traditionally dressed herders filing down the mountain.

As did my spouse, as you can see from the photo for this post.

Traditionally, here in Switzerland, the herders and farmers bring their grazing cows down from the mountains in late September and early October so that they can cozy up in the lower—and warmer—altitudes during the winter months.

For this procession, known as the désalpe in French and alpabfahrt in German, the farmers and herders wear traditional Swiss garb and the cows sport elaborate floral headdresses and necklaces and enormous and often highly decorated bells. Cheese venders, musicians playing traditional Swiss alphorns, yodelers, and craftsmen dot the route to celebrate (and to sell their wares to the many people who come to watch).

The History of the Swiss Desalpe or Alpabfahrt

For hundreds or perhaps even thousands of years, people in many parts of the world and across all kinds of cultures have moved livestock from one area to another due to the seasons in a process called “transhumance.”

As to when the Swiss transhumance began, I haven’t been able to find any solid sources on-line that I feel are credible—but I think it’s fair enough to say that it has likely taken place for centuries. Archeologists have found evidence of transhumance in the Alps as far back as 3000 BCE.

When, then, did the Swiss transhumance become a festival, with cows parading down from the mountains decked out in flowers and finery?

A much harder question to answer. I’ve found articles (without sources cited) that hypothesize that the Swiss transhumance celebration began in the medieval period, which seems possible enough. However, I could at least have video evidence of a Swiss desalpe from 1896.

Maybe the late 19th century doesn’t seem that ancient (depending upon your perspective), but I’m willing to bet it’s a tradition that had been going on long before.

The Future of the Tradition

Alas, in recent years, incredibly hot summers and off-and-on droughts (and floods) have meant that many Swiss farmers have needed to bring down part of all of their herds earlier in the year than normal.

After all, the grass that these cows eat in the mountains during the Swiss summer needs the right weather to last the season—and the cows need water to drink as well. Without plentiful fresh water and abundant grass, the cows cannot thrive.

Bringing down the herds earlier poses a serious cost to the farmers, who then need to supply the cows with feed and water back at the homestead. Many farmers have made the difficult decision to reduce their number of cows.

All this to say that if you get the chance to experience Switzerland’s annual autumn cow parade, take it. Who knows how much longer it’ll continue.

Watching the Autumn Transhumance in Switzerland

The timing for the procession changes every year and each area has a different date. Sometimes the désalpe or alpabfahrt starts as early as mid-August, though who knows how climate fluctuations will change everything in the coming years.

So if you’d like to try to catch the event, your best bet would be to contact the tourism office in the area or areas you can reach from your place of stay or residence to get the full details on the when and the where. Otherwise, you could easily miss the procession.

And a final note: Wherever the tourist office tells you to go to watch the cows come down the mountain, get to that spot early. The roads get crowded along the way and, after all that effort, you don’t want to be back of the pack, unable to see.