Legends of the Middle Ages and early Renaissance tell stories of boiling oil poured on attackers trying to scale the ramparts—but how about some soup?

So goes the legend of the attack on what was then the republic of Geneva by the Savoyards on the night of December 11-12, 1602.

The History behind L’Escalade

The dark-of-night surprise of the Duke of Savoy’s army attempting to climb the city walls had the Genevois soldiers, the bourgeois militia, and everyday citizens in the streets armed with whatever they could find to defend the city.

One of these citizens, a woman named Catherine Cheynel, grabbed the pot of soup boiling over the fire and, depending on the story you read, either poured it over the army climbing the walls or threw it in the faces of one or more soldiers.

Why did the Savoyards attack?

Well, Geneva was a wealthy city at that time, and that held a lot of lure. Conquer Geneva, get its assets, gain even more power, have access to even more territory from which you can push beyond into additional territorial acquisitions.

The risk may still have been too high for the duchy to attack had the pope at the time not encouraged the Savoy to take the charge. Geneva was a protestant stronghold and this was smack-dab in the time of the religious wars across Europe, the protestants and the Catholics duking it out. (Pun intended for this specific case, because why not?)

How Geneva Celebrates L’Escalade Today

The victory of the Genevois over the invading Savoyard army—an attack today called “L’Escalade"—memorably aided by a woman now affectionately called “Mére Royame,” is celebrated each December in Geneva’s most popular festival.

In addition to medieval costumes and parades that include music and traditional artisans, L’Escalade of today involves celebrants breaking open chocolates shaped like pots of soup while saying, "Ainsi périrent les ennemis de la République !" (In English: “And so perish the enemies of the Republic!”)

Of course, you can find restaurants city-wide serving steaming pots of soup, too. Perfect for a cold mid-December night.

The final hurrah for the festival is a large ceremonial fire. Everyone gathers in the square in front of St. Peter’s Cathedral in central Geneva, including people who had participated in the costumed promenades all day and costumed soldiers, some on horseback, to warm up and spread good cheer.

A Fun, Quirky Festival

Learning local history and seeing traditional festivals is one of my favorite ways to explore and experience the world. And this one, in Geneva in mid-December, especially delights me.

I’m not sure why, exactly. Could be the addition of soup and chocolate approximations of soup, which I find so quirky and fun. Could be that everyone just seems in a wonderful positive and happy mood. Could be that it’s a nice change of pace to have a celebration in mid-December that is completely separate from anything related to the religious holidays that cluster during this time period.

Could be all of the above—and probably is!