Swiss expats celebrate start of festive season

FUN GALORE: Swiss ambassador Etienne Thévoz with one of the guests and kids at the event. Close to 100 families, along with Swiss Business Council Qatar, joined the slew of activities to usher in the festivities. By Anand HollaIt was jingle all the way at the residence of the Swiss ambassador Etienne Thévoz and his wife Ambar Thévoz, in a family event on the weekend. The Swiss Business Council Qatar (SwissBCQ), the Swiss Business and Swiss Citizen Community got together to celebrate the start of Christmas festivities and visit of Santa.Close to 100 families joined the slew of activities on Friday while a Swiss folklore music group, flown in specially for the event, kept the mood cheery. The kids in particular enjoyed the magic show and got to indulge both their eyes and tastebuds at the cookie decoration station, provided by M?venpick Hotel, West Bay.Of course, the highlight of the event was the visit of Santa who conveyed important messages to the kids before giving them small ‘Samichlaus’ goodie bags. Unlike in the UK or the US, every year on December 6, kids in Switzerland look forward to the traditional Santa Day. On this day, Samichlaus – as he is called in Swiss German – and his companion Schmutzli emerge from their cottage in the woods to visit children at their homes. Instead of gliding on a reindeer-pulled sleigh, they prefer to shuffle through the snow with a donkey. Schmutzli is normally depicted as carrying a broom made of twigs for punishing children who haven’t been good during the past year.Most of all, the bonhomie and the activities helped the growing Swiss community in Qatar bond in an easy atmosphere made better by the December chill, allowing many to network better or build friendships. The Swiss community here works in diverse industries such as the Museums Authority, hotels, food and beverage, education, manufacturing industries, and Qatar Airways.“It was a great gathering organised in a very cozy and family-oriented way. The kids had great fun with the activities, and of course, were ultimately excited about Santa’s visit. Everyone felt at home and the Swiss ambassador and wife were great hosts,” said Maria Torres, who is married to a Swiss.The event concluded with a raffle where Swiss products were given away as well as 50,000 miles sponsored by Qatar Airways.The aim of the SwissBCQ is to support the development of the Swiss companies and Swiss professionals in Qatar by providing a suitable platform, business network as well as means to develop their businesses such as participating in various local business fairs, forums or business councils. The ultimate goal is to promote business opportunities from and for Switzerland.Earlier this year, members of SwissBCQ, Swiss Business Hub, the representing body of the Switzerland Global Enterprise and Swiss Citizens living in Qatar, celebrated the National Day of Switzerland on August 1. The event, hosted by the Swiss ambassador and the SwissBCQ, also received the message from the President of the Swiss Confederation, Simonetta Sommaruga, who stressed the importance of the Swiss living abroad not only as part of the local communities but as Swiss citizens in a globalised world. The celebration was then attended by close to 50 Swiss businessmen, professionals and members of the Swiss community.