Saturday, January 16, 2016

Buergbrennen

If you ever happen to be in Luxembourg in February then on one evening (the first Sunday in Lent) you might just feel that you have stumbled upon a huge witchcraft gathering. People get together in the Petrusse valley (google the exact location as it has changed over the years) and light up a HUGE cross. Then they watch it burn. Burn, baby, burn! 








There are little tents around where you can buy some snack food and drinks but there is really not much else going on.

The idea of the event is that with this, we burn away the winter and the spring can come. Often the base of the bonfire is made of old Christmas trees on top of which then the cross is erected. In times past this was a pagan event but with Christianity the event was 'rebranded' as a Christian celebration, as many pagan events were in order to appease to the general public.

We have been to watch the bonfire and it is good fun! 








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