Like the groundhog in the United States, the Boeoegg in Switzerland has become a holiday figure meant to predict the intensity of the oncoming season. The "snowman" is actually made of filling and firecrackers, and is placed on top of a massive bonfire in Zürich's Sechseläuten square.

When the clock strikes six, the fire is lit, and guildsmen on horseback begin their ride around the pyre. Tradition holds that the faster the snowman's head catches fire and explodes, the warmer the coming summer will be.

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