the Swiss flag it's immediately recognized all around the world but what is the bold and simple design symbolize what does it reveal about the origin of Switzerland or our cultural identity we invite you now to discover our traditions our values and our Christian history because you see the Swiss cross is no mystery at all perhaps without ever having been here yourself you just know where these pictures were taken Switzerland our mountains rise out of the center of Europe as if you could just roll downhill to anywhere else in the continent people come from everywhere to
experience the magnificent landscape trying in any way possible to take some of the beautiful scenery back home with them like this film crew from India producing a high budget Bollywood movie the climactic sequence is set on a mountain in snow and ice when the film is seen Switzerland's image will again be reinforced in distant corners of the world it's the same vision that immediately sweeps through your mind when you hear the name Switzerland right but who are we really what is our unique identity the swiftness as we call it that makes us tick part of
our identity involves some of the other things you immediately picture when you hear the name Switzerland small villages beautiful Lakes our international banking industry precision Swiss watches our gourmet cheeses and of course rich Swiss chocolate [Music] if these things shape your image that's fine but you'll discover now Switzerland is more than chocolate and cheese [Music] we think you'll see why though visitors may come for Switzerland's natural beauty to begin with that it's our history our culture and the unique swiftness into which this has evolved that makes folks want to come back again for a visitor
to understand this feeling of swiftness you must realize that the small size of our country allows and encourages our a unique culture just a few basic facts may help to put this in perspective Switzerland has 7.5 million citizens living in 26 regions these regions are known as camtonz we're one people now but we have four cultural backgrounds and we actually speak four languages French German Italian and Romansh our society is not a recent blending for our history actually goes back 700 years and through this history we developed a lot of cultural traditions that are important
to Swiss but might actually appear a little strange maybe quite strange to visitors [Music] [Applause] [Music] take these people with the yellow trousers and the red jackets this procession is an annual event repeated all over the country that goes back generations everyone takes their traditional place first come a boy and a girl followed by some goats then come the herzman the cows and at the end the owner of the animals this is how the herdsmen go off to their grazing place in the mountains at the beginning of summer they'll stay up there through the season
[Music] this kind of peaceful life is portrayed in the famous story of Heidi and Peter Heidi's longing for the mountains and her desire for the simple life is something a lot of people all around the world can identify with still today and Switzerland would seem to be a place where such a life is still possible but we're not all peace and quiet and alpine solitude this is our national sport and it's broadcast on TV wrestling is a part of the Olympic Games but this very specific kind of physical contest has an even longer tradition [Music]
[Applause] the men hold each other's trousers and tried to swing the others body until he lands on his back it's a move that mimics flipping over a large block of cheese these are battling herdsmen and farmers mighty butchers carpenters and cheese makers and the like they're not professionals they are strong proud men who would not fight for money it's a strange dance as they try not to touch the ground [Music] [Applause] [Music] in one part of Switzerland even the cows wrestle for dominance once a year farmers release their lead cows in an open pasture the
cows don't hurt each other once one proves she has the greater strength the battle is over our concept of swiftness includes respect for great physical strength strength of character and physical strength so while we may seem a quiet and modest people to others this confidence and emphasis on strength becomes more apparent when people get to know us better we like to throw big rocks since the 19th century more or less successfully we even turn flag throwing into a contest it's an exuberant expression of happiness actually red and white against a blue sky and listen to
the yodeling this is our way of expressing joy some say it's a kind of prayer actually though a noisy [Music] to understand the Swiss mentality it might be helpful to step out of the country for a moment to neighboring Italy to Rome here you find an extension of Switzerland that symbolic the world over do you know that Swiss soldiers in traditional uniform guard the Pope in the Vatican this Swiss army unit goes back 500 years to the Middle Ages during a period of famine and poverty in the sixteenth century Swiss soldiers served under foreign rulers
as was common in Europe at the time and they were known for their courage still today Swiss guards protect the Vatican from possible attackers visitors say that we appear to be a modest people but we do feel pride in our traditions and the positive attributes of our country and our contributions to the world what would the world be without our famous Swiss cheese we have good taste for sure ah yes the chocolate this too might be symbolic of who we are and the chocolate might reflect a little more of our character than you realize -
for it said that if you give the Swiss a little time and let heat do the rest then we melt and become softer on the outside to this famous mountain the Matterhorn is a national metaphor strong and imposing against the alpine sky after Mount Everest of course what other mountain in the world is more recognized as a landmark of national identity the first time you stand before the Matterhorn you will understand you will feel why it is so important to us it represents those elements of swiftness evolving strength and stability we're a deeply rooted people
like our mountains as permanent as the Matterhorn through time and speaking of time there is that other stereotype the Swiss watch fine timepieces are an expression of our reputation for careful detail and precision they're also an historical marker in Switzerland's transition from an agricultural country to a modern state today Switzerland is among the world's technological leaders in research and development of precision tools precise dependable punctual these are words that are commonly used to describe us after all we have had over 700 years to develop into a modern state and earn our reputation as a smoothly
ticking nation if you'll pardon the comparison and we continue striving to maintain this perhaps you've even carried an example of this cutting-edge attention to detail around in your pocket in the form of us with smarmy knife would you believe this Switzerland has produced 113 Nobel Prize winners in spite of our small population we have not been blessed with natural resources like oil metals and gold we've had to learn to make the best of what we have and the challenges this presented necessity has been the mother of invention here our mountain lakes are not just scenery
borders at least a plentiful resource so we built huge dams to meet the nation's need for electricity [Music] and of course we've also had to overcome our beautiful but difficult terrain through the ages the mountains have presented transportation problems right in the middle of Europe it didn't seem possible to build a railway through so much granite before we did it more than a hundred years ago now it's an easy and speedy trip from Italy to the south of us to Germany in the north [Applause] the Swiss train system is a model transportation network we may
be world champions when it comes to utilizing trains a greater percentage of our population uses rail travel than any other nation because trains and buses can take you to almost any part of the country and schedules are reliable it's part of our being energy efficient and environmentally conscious [Music] but up to now we've been talking about practical things there's more to life than trains running on time there's vision and adventure and we Revere those who exemplify this dimension of swiftness they are on Picon for example he became the first to circle the globe in a
hot-air balloon without ever touching the ground that's high-risk adventure [Applause] [Music] at the top of our list of national heroes is Roger Federer one of the greatest tennis players of all time here at home he's viewed as the perfect future son-in-law for every mother and father his countrymen are proud of how roger has represented the nation and true to his national culture it makes sense doesn't it that Roger has been a very consistent dependable and modest champion visitors to Switzerland observe how clean the country is our waste recycling system is highly organized and we learn
to recognize the importance of this so we always come back to protecting the natural beauty with which we've been blessed we have waterfalls we have rivers flowing slowly across the land we have clear links [Music] we have four full seasons to enjoy through the year [Music] urban areas also emphasize attractive environments Swiss cities all maintain attractive historic districts in their centers the most international of our cities is Geneva it's almost like a small city-state in itself here the historic reformer Calvin lived he initiated and influenced the Protestant church worldwide this is the home headquarters of
important international organizations like the Red Cross which was founded by Aubrey de nom a citizen of Geneva in 1859 after seeing the horror of war at first hand do not dedicated himself to helping wounded soldiers and the Red Cross was born so if you thought of the Swiss is being focused only within our borders that's not an accurate picture the Swiss have been centrally involved in humanitarian aid and diplomacy throughout history [Music] by now you see there are many more good things to Switzerland than just chocolate and cheese but this is a complex modern society
and fortunate though we are it's not quite utopia yet there are things we Swiss are uneasy about some disappointments aren't really important sure we wish our ski champions still dominated the mountains of the world as they used to but oh well that's history other changes have had more serious impact and reflect the challenge of an ever-changing interrelated world here as elsewhere for instance when the national airline Swiss Air had to close up shop this was a blow to our national pride how could our strong economy suddenly be paralyzed and a seemingly impossible situation develop overnight
our proud national airline bankrupt grounded travelers were stranded and angry later battered Swissair was bought by a foreign company what a disaster there have been embarrassing problems too in our well known banking industry while some Swiss banks have grown to be important world players others have been badly mismanaged not at all in keeping with our commitment to efficient operations there was a public scandal that was very disappointing to the Swiss in a world that's now shrinking we've come to realize that our view of Switzerland can't be as idealized as in the past we have actually
been getting used to too much traffic now climate change is obvious in the mountains our glaciers are melting like others around the world and the effects are not just long-term there are immediate effects this mudslide is an example [Music] [Music] social problems reflect those of other industrialized nations as well even though Swiss citizens are relatively prosperous drug abuse is a problem suicide rates are high when Swiss are polled about whether they're happy the sense of contentment is lower than in times past our divorce rate is at 50% we mention all of this just to make
clear that Swiss are no different from other people better or worse even our weather forecasters sometimes don't seem to be able to accurately predict the weather so we try to keep our sense of humor and stay even tempered but let's talk about Swiss nests on a deeper level some things about our culture are different than in other nations one of these issues is our development of direct democracy we don't simply elect politicians to represent us in Parliament and then leave them to wrestle with society's problems we rely on all citizens being involved policies are determined
by public referendum in most regions we get together and raise our hands to say yay or nay directly this is more than a political system built on active participation of all citizens it's a change in consciousness a recognition that we all have responsibility for the success of our culture and it's historically important to us that we are a nation of choice cultural groups that don't even share the same first language may have differing interests at times but are working towards the same goal of what's best for everyone there are french-speaking swiss who are culturally close
to the french just as italian speaking Swiss are connected to the Italian culture but all choose to identify themselves as Swiss in fact 30 percent of Swiss citizens were actually foreign-born there are different traditions different architectural styles different issues and different points of view that require patience and commitment when consensus must be reached and so we're experienced in that collective philosophy which we often represent to the world neutrality this has a deep meaning for us and has been central to our thinking working things out instead of taking sides in times of war we resist the
emotional pull to force solutions and instead seek to negotiate between warring factions we're aware that other nations may not always understand the Swiss emphasis on neutrality but this fundamental element of swiftness has a lot to do with how this small nation was carved out in the first place it was through war and conflict over centuries past that Switzerland came into being we learned that differing groups frequently had to get along with one another to fight larger common enemies from outside it was through cooperation and compromise that we were able to resist various empires throughout European
history to remain free and independent this will to lives a free people found expression in the fictional but representative story of a national hero William Tell has shown in a movie from the 60s in this story a farmer and deer hunter in the mountains of Switzerland refuses to pay respect to an oppressive King and for this he must be punished with bow and arrow he must shoot an apple off his son's head his name is true and the boy lives even today many Swiss can identify with this tale of calm courage and a steady hand
now what really happened in those times was that oppressed Swiss refused to pay taxes to a foreign power and they met in secret and promised to stand side by side to protect their land and Families calling upon the help of God and in his name they founded the Confederation of Canton's the beginning of a nation to which they swore allegiance in the year 1291 they experienced the will to remain free as their fathers before them and to trust the mighty God they swore to stand together in times of need and danger and vow they would
die before living in slavery the Covenant was written down beginning with the words in the name of God and ending with if this is the will of God it will never end this ancient document is exhibited in the parliament of one of the founding Canton's throughout the centuries since Swiss citizens have celebrated our national holiday on August the 1st remembering this humble beginning people light fires on hilltops to remind one of a small and faithful bond that grew into a nation of distinct character unique in the world the symbol of that newly formed Confederation was
a white cross on a red background so you see the Swiss flag symbolizes a religious dimension of the Covenant still today it reflects our strong spiritual heritage the signs of that faith are commonly found throughout Switzerland crosses symbolizing the resurrection of Jesus just as Switzerland's founders believed in this over 700 years ago [Music] today Switzerland is a modern secular nation and we debate the relationship between religion and government only a minority are active churchgoers who profess the trust in God from which our nation began there is however a growing number of Swiss whether they raise
this as a public issue or not who believe in Jesus Christ as the fundamental difference in their lives the same commitment as the founders of the Swiss Federation at Christ day in Basel over 45,000 believers of different backgrounds assembled to thank God and pray for Switzerland flag bearers of the 2,800 political communities formed a cross a special emphasis was laid on prayer and blessing for the more than 100 countries that were represented by their national flags [Music] throughout our country church bells call people to remember the foundation upon which Switzerland is built and to think
about a truth beyond themselves is that not what life is really all about anywhere and in this way - are we Swiss not like people of other nations so now you know about that white cross on a field of red now you know what has been right there on the national flag from the very beginning that our culture and lives are deeply rooted in Christian faith now you know that Switzerland is more than chocolate and cheese [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]
