The first association was founded in St-Luc in 1933. It was followed by the associations in Mission (1950), Saint-Jean (1954), Ayer (1958) and Grimentz (1965).
The fife and drum bands accompanied the Swiss mercenaries to Italy for the Battle of Novara in 1513 and the Battle of Marignano in 1515. The fifes played have changed little since the 16th century.
The book “Au cœur des mélodies depuis 1965” published by the Grimentz Fife and Drum Association to mark its 50th anniversary offers great insights into this tradition at the very heart of village life. Based on protocols from 1965 to 2015, the book retraces the association’s 50-year existence with a wide variety of memories and anecdotes The evolution of the costumes and flags reflects its development over time.
