What is Switzerland’s national holiday on 1 August, commemorating the 1291 Federal Charter, called?

Switzerland’s national holiday on 1 August is called Swiss National Day.

The date refers to the Federal Charter of 1291, an agreement traditionally associated with the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden. The charter pledged mutual assistance and is treated as a founding document of the Old Swiss Confederacy. Switzerland first celebrated the date nationally in 1891, marking the charter’s supposed 600th anniversary.

Celebrations include bonfires, fireworks, speeches, concerts, flag displays, and communal gatherings. The famous Rhine Falls fireworks are among the country’s best-known events. The holiday is not the anniversary of a modern declaration of independence from a foreign power; Switzerland developed through alliances among cantons, and the exact historical meaning of the 1291 charter is more limited than some popular accounts suggest.