On Sunday, 14 February, villages across the Grand Duchy celebrated Buergbrennen; this year, however, as the event fell on the same day as St Valentine's day, some villages in Luxembourg decided to forego the traditional burning cross and replace it with a burning heart.
On the first Sunday of Lent every year the inhabitance of villages all over Luxembourg gather in the evening to wait in anticipation for the tall cross to catch fire.
The tradition of setting a bonfire alight this time of year can be found in many cultures and most of them are connected to the winter solstice. The action setting alight large piles of wood and branches to ward of the last threads of winter and great the spring dates back to the old tradition of pagan feasts. The cross, that have become the top piece, was added in later years and the celebration moved from March to February to coincide with lent probably due to the adoption of the Christian calendar. The Buergbrennen is also found in Belgium, France and Germany. But whereas the tradition has waned in the other countries over half the villages in Luxembourg currently still celebrate it.
Photo by Emma Terling. Buergbrennen in Junglinster.
