Make Us Laugh: The Age of Reason at Neuchâtel Vendanges
Christian Mukuna returns to Neuchâtel’s famous Vendanges with a renewed lens and a sharper wink. In his latest chronicle, the comedian turns a simple question into a festival-wide reflection: what happens when the age you once viewed as an ally becomes your own personal compass? His answer, delivered in his characteristic blend of tenderness and bite, is more celebratory than mournful: the age of reason can coexist with the joy of a crowd, a chorus of cheers, and a good plate of raclette shared under a hillside sky.
The New Pace of Vendanges
Longtime festivalgoers know the thrill of wandering from stall to stall, chasing a new drink, a louder joke, or a late-night chat that dissolves with the dawn. Mukuna admits that those nights—when streets glowed with confetti and laughter—now arrive with a different rhythm. He asks whether the festival is changing, or if it is simply him who has aged. The result is a gentle, humorous delineation: the energy remains, but the tempo shifts. It’s not a retreat from revelry; it’s a mindful adaptation that makes room for the small, intimate rituals that often get lost in the whirl of the three-day celebration.
From Night Stages to Raclette Moments
In this evolved portrait, the comedian finds delight in a scene many rarely see on stage: savoring a raclette at the Village Suisse, clapping for the Corso fleuri, and strolling away with a festival hoodie, neatly packaged and ready for another year. The image is not of a man retreating from the spectacle, but of someone savoring the festival’s flavors with a new appreciation for ordinary pleasures. A modest Voltaren Dolo becomes a humorous prop, a symbol of the era when even nostalgia comes with its tiny reminders of the body’s limits—and the humor that helps us live with them. Mukuna’s observations glide between affectionate self-mockery and a tribute to the camaraderie that defines Vendanges: a space where strangers become friends, where stories are swapped over wine, and where the shared memory of a festival binds generations.
Humor with Heart: A Generational Ode
With his signature incisive wit, Mukuna turns a generational shift into a universal truth: aging does not erase your love for a community; it refines it. What was once a sprint through illuminated stalls now becomes a measured stroll, a chance to catch up with old friends and to greet new ones with a smile that acknowledges both time passed and time cherished. The piece is less about resisting change and more about reimagining joy within it. Behind the jokes lies a tender reminder: three days of Vendanges are a gift—an annual reunion where laughter, song, and shared glances stitch a social fabric that keeps Neuchâtel intimately human.
A Three-Day Privilege: Laugh, Sing, Share
The heart of Mukuna’s reflection is simple and powerful: the festival endures because it invites participation. It invites the crowd to laugh not at age, but with age; to sing not louder, but more meaningfully; to share a connection that travels across tables, across stalls, across generations. In the end, the humor is not about dodging maturity but about embracing it as a companion to the revelry. The laughter becomes a bridge, linking the riotous nights of the past with the more thoughtful, convivial days of the present. And as he notes, even nostalgia wears the taste of wine when shared among friends and strangers who become kin for a weekend.
A Toast to Neuchâtel’s Evolving Festival
“Make Us Laugh” is not a retreat from tradition; it’s an invitation to reimagine it. Mukuna’s three days at Vendanges remind us that Neuchâtel’s festival remains a privilege: to gather, to celebrate, to age gracefully while still raising a glass in the company of a community that refuses to let memory fade. In this light, the age of reason isn’t an end to spontaneity—it’s a new way to savor the same wine-scented joy, the same parade-led energy, and the same enduring laughter that makes Neuchâtel unique.
