26/10/2026
Räbeliechtli: When Turnips Become Lanterns
It's just past five, the street is already dark, and somewhere around the corner a children's choir is humming a melody that has travelled through the same villages for generations. Then the procession turns the corner: dozens, sometimes thousands, of little lights, each hidden inside a hollowed-out turnip, its finely etched patterns glowing like lace curtains against the November night. Welcome to Räbeliechtli — one of Switzerland's quirkiest and most beautiful autumn traditions.
What exactly is a Räbeliechtli?
The base ingredient is unglamorous: the autumn turnip, known colloquially as the «Räbe». It is purple on top, white below, and harvested in autumn. Children — often at kindergarten or in their school class — hollow it out, etch suns, moons, stars or delicate patterns into the skin, and place a tealight inside. Once it gets dark, they walk through the village in a procession, singing traditional Räbeliechtli songs and carrying their hand-carved lights on three strings like little lanterns.
The custom is especially widespread in the cantons of Zurich, Thurgau, Bern, Zug and St. Gallen. Probably the best-known procession takes place in Richterswil on Lake Zurich — with several thousand participants, one of the largest lantern processions in the country, with a tradition stretching back well over a hundred years. There the festival is called «Räbechilbi»: on Saturday, 14 November 2026, the procession starts at 6 pm, and around 50,000 candles glow inside turnips that schools and clubs have carved from some 30 tonnes of autumn turnips.
More than just a pretty craft
The carving itself is a small craft challenge: the walls need to be hollowed out thin enough for the light to shine through, yet stay sturdy enough that the turnip doesn't break. In many families, carving Räbeliechtli is a fixed date in November, shortly before the procession — an evening at the kitchen table, newspaper spread on the floor, small practised hands trying their luck with spoons and carving tools.
Did you know? The Räbeliechtli has a distant relative in the Halloween pumpkin: in Ireland and Scotland, people used to carve lanterns from turnips. Only in North America, where pumpkins were far easier to come by, did that turn into the pumpkin we know today. A similar material, but two very different customs.
Deep dive: why light against the darkness in November of all months?
The exact origins of the Räbeliechtli custom aren't fully documented, but much points to old light and harvest customs that marked the shift from the agricultural year into the dark season. In an age without electric light, a homemade light in the November dark was a small community celebration — and a ritual that helped children experience the growing darkness as something they could shape, rather than something to fear. The processions with songs and lanterns have barely changed in many communities to this day, giving them an almost timeless character.
Carving your own: a few practical tips
For the procession itself, a small Stirnlampe head torch is worth it for whoever's accompanying the kids — hands stay free while the children carry their Räbe, and you can still spot puddles and kerbs even when every child's torch is pointed at their carved light. For the tealight inside the turnip, sturdy Teelichthalter aus Glas glass tealight holders work well, since they catch the dripping wax and can simply be reused after the procession — for next year, or just for cosy evenings afterwards.
A light that stays with you
Whether in Richterswil or your own neighbourhood: Räbeliechtli is a reminder that the darkest season of the year doesn't have to be gloomy — it can also be an occasion for community and a little homemade magic. Did you carve a turnip lantern as a child too — or is this the year your own first one is on the cards? Why not take a look through our range — you might just find the right companion for a dark November evening.