Credit: Jazmin Campbell
Luxembourg will celebrate “Bretzelsonndeg” (Pretzel Sunday) on Sunday 30 March 2025.
Newcomers to the Grand Duchy may wonder at the queues of (mostly) men at local bakeries this Sunday. Pretzel Sunday is a long-standing Luxembourgish tradition that falls on the fourth Sunday of Lent, in which a man gives a pretzel to someone in whom he is interested. If the feeling is reciprocated, he receives an Easter egg in return, three weeks later, on Easter Sunday. If, however, this is not the case, he gets an empty basket (and a broken heart…). This is from where the Luxembourgish expression “de Kuerf kréien” (literally meaning: to get the basket, to be rejected) comes.
In leap years, the tradition is reversed and women buy the pretzel. They then have to endure the long wait until Easter Sunday to see if their love brings them an egg or a basket.
Bakeries across the Grand Duchy are already displaying the large, sweet pretzels made of puff pastry and covered with icing and almond flakes that are associated with Pretzel Sunday.
There are many theories regarding the history of the pretzel. One theory suggests pretzels were invented by European monks in the Middle Ages to represent the Holy Trinity. The three holes, created by the knot shape of the pretzel, are believed to symbolise the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Another theory is that pretzels are of Celtic origin, dating back as far as the Iron Age, before gradually making their way to the Germanic areas of Europe.
In the 16th century, children were said to be rewarded with soft pretzels, known as “pretiola” (with the knot symbolising little arms crossed in prayer), for learning their prayers. Others say that the shape of the pretzel represents lovers arm in arm. The word pretzel does, however, originate from the Latin word “brachium” meaning “arm”, (“brezitella” in Old German), due to this appearance of interlaced arms.
In Luxembourg, Bretzelsonndeg dates back to the 18th century and is associated with Buergbrennen. Legend has it that girls threw wood into the bonfire while shouting out the name of the boy they liked. If he felt likewise, he would show this by offering her a pretzel.
Luxembourgers and non-Luxembourgers alike will celebrate Pretzel Sunday throughout the Grand Duchy. Tradition might dictate that this Sunday is the day for only men to declare their love by purchasing a pretzel, but traditions evolve over time. Any woman wishing to confess to a love interest will not be turned away from the many bakeries eager to sell their products. It is, after all, a long wait until the next leap year in 2028.
This year will also see Luxembourg’s flag carrier Luxair and supermarket chain Cactus team up to distribute pretzels to passengers on selected Luxair flights from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 March 2025. The pretzels will replace the usual in-flight snack, on selected afternoon flights of less than 1.5 hours. Passengers will also be given a limited edition keyring to celebrate the day.
Furthermore, on Sunday 30 March, customers who buy a bakery product at Cactus supermarkets in the Belle Étoile shopping centre, Bereldange, Remich, Lallange and Luxembourg-Limpertsberg will also receive a keyring to mark this year’s Pretzel Sunday.
HOM
(Photo credit: © Luxair)
