City - Geneva State - GENEVA Country - Switzerland
About
During the night of December 11-12, 1602, the city of Geneva was attacked by Savoyard soldiers, who attempted to scale the city ramparts. The Duke of Savoy, who had lost his former possession of Geneva, was trying to reclaim it. The battle was severe, but the people of Geneva valiantly defended their town. Examples of bravery were many: one especially remembers Mère Royaume, who climbed onto the ramparts and poured her pot of hot soup over the head of a Savoyard soldier.
Ever since that time, the people of Geneva have remembered and celebrated their day of victory. A large, torchbearing procession dressed in period costumes proceeds through the streets of the old city along both banks of the Rhone. Historic and legendary figures like Mère Royaume, armed with her pot, are always present. At several points along the traditional route, the procession stops and a herald on horseback reads the proclamation of victory over the invaders. Arriving in good spirits at St. Peter's Cathedral, the participants sing patriotic songs. The entire ceremony concludes with generalized merrymaking.
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