Colors of Crans-Montana - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Crans-Montana is known to many travelers as a permanent venue for interesting sporting events and celebrations. Most sports competitions and relays are held here in the winter, they have always been popular entertainment for tourists. The annual cross-country skiing competition called La Foulee Blanche is organized here in January. Fans of unusual winter sports will be interested in visiting the resort in February when snowboarding and carving competitions are held here.

One of the most interesting events in the resort’s calendar is the annual Hot-Air Balloon Festival. Enthusiasts from many European countries take part in it. On these festive days, one can admire dozens and dozens of incredibly beautiful balloons rising into the sky. Guests of the event are offered interesting entertainment - they can fly a balloon accompanied by experienced instructors. During such an air tour you can admire Lake Geneva, marvelous alpine landscapes and villages and cities located in these places.

If in winter Crans-Montana is overcome by the spirit of ski competitions, then with the advent of summer there comes a time for another sport - golf. Golf courses located throughout its territory are among the best in Europe, they are chosen for holding the annual Omega European Masters. During the competition, you can watch how famous golfers play, and when the tournament ends, golf centers are at complete disposal of guests again. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The resort lives a rich sports and cultural life, with the arrival of spring it hosts one of the most unusual and interesting music festivals in Europe - Capricies. This festival brings together performers of different styles and ages. Five stages and several dance floors are set up in the open space for its holding.

Most of the concerts held within the framework of the festival are free, about 10,000 people attend the music festival every year. The main events of the festival are competitions of music bands, including young beginners. Over the course of 9 days, guests of the resort can enjoy interesting entertainment to suit every taste. The music festival was first held in 2004, since then its organization has become a good tradition for the resort.

Apart from bright festivals and sporting events, Crans-Montana is attractive for its traditional holidays. It is not by chance that the majority of tourists come here on Christmas and New Year holidays when the resort is changed beyond recognition. The abundance of beautiful garlands on the streets, noisy fairs with a wide choice of foods and souvenirs, interesting entertainment programs for adults and children, and romantic sleigh rides - the attitude to Christmas and the New Year is always special here.

Traditional holidays have some interesting local features - for example, it is not customary for local residents to set a rich table in honor of the New Year. Most people welcome the new year on the street where the brightest entertainment takes place, and then everyone goes to their friends and relatives. On New Year's Eve, they bake special pear cakes, which are considered the main festive treat. Another interesting New Year’s tradition is masquerades taking place in many entertainment centers that work on New Year’s Eve.

In Crans-Montana, it is customary to celebrate Christmas on December 25th. The most interesting holiday event for locals and tourists is the Christmas markets. Usually, here one can buy the best delicacies brought from different parts of the country, as well as buy the best regional wines and interesting souvenirs. All the markets are necessarily accompanied by street performances and all kinds of entertainment programs for children.

A compulsory holiday ritual is baking special man-shaped cookies Grittibänz, which are always sold at festive fairs. Many bakeries operating in the city conduct culinary workshops where they teach to bake this kind of cookies, absolutely everyone can participate. Since Crans-Montana is a typical winter resort, the main winter holidays are always approached with special attention. During holidays, you can learn a lot of interesting things about the peculiarities of the national culture, as well as witness interesting traditional rituals and festivities.