Manx Community Celebrates Tynwald Day

Today, Tuesday 5 July 2022, marks Tynwald Day, the national day of the Isle of Man, an island nation and self-governing British Crown Dependency located in the Irish Sea.

At the time of the 2021 Isle of Man Census, the total population stood at 84,069. Whilst there are no specific figures available for the number of people from the Isle of Man living in Luxembourg, STATEC, the latter's national statistics portal, noted in its "Luxembourg in Figures - 2021" publication that Luxembourg exported €414 million in services to the Isle of Man in 2020. That same year, the Grand Duchy imported €31 million in services from the Isle of Man.

Ties between the two countries are also strengthened through the Luxembourg-Manx Society (LMS), which has been active in the Grand Duchy since 2009. Its main missions are as follows:

• to develop awareness and knowledge in Luxembourg of the Isle of Man and its culture, heritage and business environment;

• to organise events for people from or interested in the Isle of Man;

• to provide a forum for discussion and interchange in Luxembourg for people and businesses interested in the Isle of Man;

• to promote and facilitate interest in Luxembourg from people and businesses based in the Isle of Man;

• to provide a point of communication for interaction with other Manx societies and associations worldwide.

Speaking to Chronicle.lu, Louise Callister, Secretary of LMS, provided some background information about Tynwald Day and its significance for the people of the Isle of Man, as well as how it is celebrated in the Isle of Man and by the Manx community in Luxembourg. 

"The Isle of Man is a self-governing territory, and although it is subject to certain powers held by the British Crown, it is responsible for its own laws, currency, taxes, public expenditure, civil administration and social policies. All of these are legislated through its parliament: Tynwald", explained Ms Callister.

"Tywnald is of Norse origin and basically means Meeting Place of the Assembly [...]. So, Tywnald is really old, it celebrated its millennium in 1979 and is often reputed to be the world's oldest continuous parliament", she elaborated. "Each year, the parliament convenes on 5 July (this was the original midsummer's day before we adopted the Roman calendar). The government of the day sits on top of Tynwald Hill and pass the laws. Thanks to this very old tradition, the Isle of Man enjoys a high degree of autonomy from the UK and I think that this is, in large part, what people celebrate each year. It's important to the people of the Isle of Man to maintain this identity".

In the Isle of Man, Tynwald Day celebrations are "open to all". "It's part of the ancient Viking tradition", noted Ms Callister. "There is a ceremony during which the laws of the land are promulgated (read in both Manx Gaelic and English), but thereafter comes a slot whereby individuals can come forward to present a petition or redress their grievances. Aside from that, there is traditional dancing and various stalls set out in the normal manner with the usual bunting associated with these types of events".

"In Luxembourg, it's much more informal", she added. "The population of the Isle of Man isn't much more than 85,000 so there are only a handful of 'Manxies' here in Luxembourg". 

"But, small as we are, we're committed to keeping the Tynwald tradition alive, and so the LMS organises each year on 5 July a BBQ at the Black Stuff", she continued. "Most commonly, we eat Manx kippers (smoked and salted herring, another Viking legacy!) and drink Manx beer, as well as the traditional Luxembourgish sausages and crémant. We put up our flags and pretend we are back home for a few hours, and for sure there is likely to be a lively event on the state of affairs!"

Following a COVID-19-related break, the LMS is once again organising its traditional BBQ at the Black Stuff Irish Pub in Val de Hamm on Tuesday 5 July 2022 from 18:00. 

"This year we are back in full swing with our Family BBQ event at the Black Stuff (the previous two years were difficult during COVID-19)", noted Louise Callister. "Everyone is welcome". She added: "We usually have a few highlights from the Isle of Man TT [annual motorcycle racing event] as we know that this popular with people the world over".