Wikipedia
Chalandamarz is an ancient tradition and festival that is celebrated by the Romansh speaking part of the Swiss Canton Graubünden. It is celebrated on the first of March and marks the end of winter and the arrival of spring.
The name of the festival refers to the first day of March, on which it is celebrated, the Romansh term ''chalanda, ''stemming from the Latin word calandae, meaning ''"first day of the month". ''
Chalandamarz dates as far back as the time when southeastern Switzerland, or Retia, was part of the Roman Empire, and therefore the tradition is probably older than Christianity, and some records say it is even older than the Roman empire. Chalandamarz is still celebrated in the Engadin valley, the Val Müstair, Oberhalbstein valley and Albula valley, but not it Sutselva and Surselva. It is a pagan festival, and the object is to mark the beginning of a new year in spring, to scare away the evil spirits of winter and wake up the good spirits of spring. The means the spirits are supposedly roused is through noise, which comes from large old cowbells, whips and singing. On the first of March, and often at least one day before, the boys of each village go around and ring bells and sing. Girls traditionally don’t take part in this, but in some villages girls carry baskets around to gather money, and in some villages they carry bells too. Often the boys march around the village fountains, and go into the old houses and sing. After this, there is often whipping. In the evening on the first of March, there is often a party with dancing. The procession of boys at Chalandamarz is often led by the oldest boys who are due to leave school the following year. These are known as Patruns (meaning „masters“ in Romansh).