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| History and costums |
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A Cultural Experience - Settlements in the Saas Valley go back to days of the Celts.
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The first towns in the Valais were founded by the Romans, and a pass through the Saas Valley for trade with Italy probably existed already in those days.
The Saracens invaded the Valais in 939. Many names of places and mountains (Allalin, Monte-Moro among others) probably came into being at this time and still now recall this era.
The Walser emigration began 700 years ago, and many people from the Saas Valley also left their homeland for good because there was too little to survive on and in the hope of finding greater freedom. They set off over the Monte-Moro and Antrona passes with their wives and children, their cattle and all their possessions and settled in the rough highlands of the Walser settlements of Macugnaga and Antronapiana. Friendly neighbourly relations between the inhabitants on both sides of the Monte-Moro have been maintained to the present day.
The Saas Valley has often been affected by extreme weather, floods, disease and war (Napoleon among others). Nevertheless, the inhabitants of the Saas Valley with their iron will and great creativity managed time and again to continue their traditions and to make the valley a place of spiritual and physical well-being, even under the hardest circumstances. The Saas Valley was gradually opened to tourism from about 1830. The first hotel, the Hotel Monte Rosa, was built in Saas-Grund in 1856.
There has been a main road from Saas-Grund to Saas-Fee since 1951. This resulted in an increase in tourism for Saas-Fee. Despite the influences of modern life, many customs which are deeply rooted in the history of the Saas Valley have remained. Amongst these are the home-made costumes which are worn at various events, and also the preservation of traditional music. There are several costume and music societies which appear at festivals and parades. |
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