That sounds so much nicer in German, Räebelichtliumzug. 🙂 Anyway, the day after Halloween was our villages annual turnip parade. I went up to school in the morning to help Alexandra carve her turnip. Noah made his alone, and the older girls didn’t have one. 🙁 I asked if they wanted to carve small pumpkins again, but they weren’t interested. Well, Sarah may have been if she wasn’t still sick. Poor thing, she missed all the fun this year for TWO holidays.
When I arrived, I was a bit later than the other parents, so I didn’t take any pictures, just got right down to business. But I have carved quite a few of these, so I was finished before most people. Before I left, Alexandra wanted to show me some papers in her binder. This is her running to get it off the shelf.
Look at all those busy moms and dads, slaving away for their kids. So sweet. 
The lady in the striped shirt is my neighbor, and the head lice lady. 🙂 That’s how I got the job.
Can you see Alexandra’s turnip down in the right corner? Get a good look now, because it’s the last time you’ll see it. It broke before the parade even started.
The kids had free play when they were done making their lanterns, so Lexi and her friend Vivienne colored while Chloe held her sweet baby brother, Gian.
Chloe’s mom and dad have 4 kids and she is the oldest at age 5. I feel a special kinship with them. 🙂
We drove up to school without Papa, since the kids needed to be there earlier than his bus got home. He just stayed on it and rode into town, then walked up to school to meet us. It worked out pretty well. Love Swiss public transportation!
Alexandra and Rafael were at the front of their group, but Alexandra’s lantern fell and broke while they were still waiting to start. So she just held his hand and sang the songs. She still had fun, though. Sarah’s class were the candle lighters for the younger kids, and followed along the parade route to relight any candles that went out. Sarah should have been one, and I even bought her a special lighter to use, but again, she was sick. Those are her friends, Sophie and Maheshi.
After the kids all walked past, we ran down to the town and circled around to meet up with them on the route. Periodically they would stop and sing songs and we wanted to hear them.
It’s such a magical night for the kids. The town sends out a letter asking everyone to turn off their outside lights so the lanterns will shine brighter. 
I know this picture is blurry, but I wanted to catch what it actually looked like out in the dark. So pretty.
I wandered through the crowd and actually found Noah and his friends. 
The parade wound through town a bit and then ended up back at the school for more singing and then treats! 
Noah and Alexandra got the traditional soft rolls filled with a chocolate bar from the school. And the big kids got hot punch and delicious soup prepared by the Elternverein, or parent club of Aeugst. They do it as a service, but do ask for a donation to pay for the ingredients. Nick was so happy they did it this year, as they skipped it last year due to lack of willing volunteers. We were generous with our donation in appreciation.
After the parade is always so much fun, as so much of the town is together, talking and laughing and just enjoying the good atmosphere. 
The little boy in the blue hat is Noah’s good friend, Yahel and his mother is my friend, Karen. We walked the parade route together, until Chris showed up. My other buddy, Monica is in the black jacket next to her. It is nice to feel accepted and included in such a small town that could be very unfriendly to newcomers but is the exact opposite.
Next year, I hope Sarah is feeling better and that we carve our pumpkins again. I felt like I missed out not having my own lantern this year.