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Flerden commune (Graubünden/Grischun/Grigioni canton, Switzerland)

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Flerden

image by Pascal Gross

Or two Mazza mallets Gules in saltire between four Mazza Balls of the same.
Željko Heimer, 25 September 2001

The emblem of Flerden from the 18th century shows two mallets and four balls of the so-called Mazza Cula game, which has its roots in the 16th century. It was played by peasants in Romansh speaking areas of today's Graubünden (English: Grisons; Romansh: Grischun) canton. It has survived in the three communes of Flerden, Masein and Tschappina in Thusis circle, where it is played in spring and autumn when the grass is short. The mallets (Mazzas), are handmade. A slightly conic piece of wood (22–25 cm) with a borehole is put on a hazel stick (100–160 cm). The balls are wooden (mostly balls for mending stockings). The targets (Larga) where the balls are aimed to are different objects in the landscape, like stones, border stones, barn doors or manhole tops. The player or the team that requires the fewest hits to hit the target has won. The ball is not being hit from the ground but from the air. The player has to throw the ball in the air and then hit it with the mallet.
(Source: Pöschtli, 21.3.2024, regional newspaper in Grisons canton. Article [German] as PDF: part 1, part 2)
Martin Karner, 21 March 2024