If you happen to be in Luxembourg on the first Sunday after Carnival, you might see a huge bonfire on the hilltop of cities and villages throughout the country. We call this tradition the Buergbrennen, and it’s the Luxembourgish way to send off winter.
Around mid-January, local youth clubs and associations drive from door to door to collect the residents’ old Christmas trees. Along with hay and logs amassed in the nearby woods, the old Christmas tree trunks are dried and used to build a huge cross on the following month.
On the day of Buergbrennen, also known as Faaschtefeier (Lent festival), this cross is erected on the summit of the village’s hill or anyplace upland. When the night is falling, villagers gather around it to lit on the huge bonfire. In some larger cities, the festivity starts with a torchlit procession, or includes a spectacle with live music during the Buergbrennen.
For a long time, we had thought that the word Buerg from Buergbrennen has something to do with the German word Burg, meaning castle. But Buerg actually comes from the Latin verb burere, which means “to burn”. The Luxembourgish term brennen also means “to burn”. So on the Sunday of Lent, we come together to “burn-burn” away the cold winter days.
The lightning of fire to celebrate the end of winter is actually a pagan custom. According to tradition, it is supposed to welcome spring by saying farewell to the darker days of winter. That is why the Buergbrennen takes place around the time of the spring equinox. In France and Belgium, the Buergbrennen is known as dimanche des Bures or dimanche des Brandons, and is celebrated only in certain parts of these two countries. Whereas in Luxembourg, almost every town or neighborhood of larger cities have their own bonfire, and most Luxembourgers have been to this festivity at least once in their lifetime.
For those who are totally freaked out by this peculiar custom, know that prior to the burning session comes the serving of beer, sausages and the traditional pea soup called Ierzebulli. So if you would like to meet the locals, make sure to attend one of the many Buergbrennen!
20 Responses
Walky Talky
Hello, Mei and Kerstin
I loved your post.
We followed the Buergbrennen in Bonnevoie, see our videos with the traditional music: https://www.walkytalkytour.com/video-blog 🙂
If you are in Lux, I would like to meet you.
Thank you again for your fantastic post
Greetings from Lux
Mei and Kerstin
Thanks for sharing your video with us. We didn’t know that they even played traditional music at the Buergbrennen in Bonnevoie! Also, it’s awesome that you offer free walking tours in Luxembourg in 3 different languages! Next time our friends and family members from abroad visit Luxembourg, we’ll send them to you! And yes, it would definitely be awesome to meet. 😉
Walky Talky
Thanks,
I look forward to seeing your family and Friends 🙂
When you are around in Lux, we can have a coffee.
Kind regards
Milkytravel
i love traveling for carnivals and celebrations. it’s so much more fun and joy! By the way it is exactly the same way as we greet spring in Lithuania 🙂
Marteen Lane
What a cool way to send off winter. It’s lovely all the locals come together in their respective towns and villages.
Anja Ben
What, I’ve been to Luxembourg twice and never tried (or heard about) the traditional pea soup! I have to try it next time! We actually visited when Buergbrennen was taking place, and had a plan to go with our friends, but something came up, and we didn’t go at the end. Hopefully this year it will hurry up spring! 🙂
Nicola
What a creative way! I love Luxembourg. Everything from the food to the architecture – it’s just aboslutely gorgeous. That said, being from Dubai, I bet most times we wouldn’t want to bid farewell to the “winter” we experience.
Finding Jing (@findingjing)
What an interesting way of sending off winter. My first time to hear about this tradition. This is just a perfect example of what I love about traveling – discovering the people and the place by witnessing their traditions.
Marvi
This is so interesting to know! What an amazing tradition.. I love the fact that the activity is somehow participated by the community (e.g the collection of the residents’ old Christmas Tree). Traditions like this are so great if sustained for years to come!
Dave
I have never heard of this tradition before. It seems something similar to the Burning Man Festival on one of the Scottish Islands. Definitely something to lookout for when in Luxembourg. Learnt something new . Thankyou
Ghia Lorenzo
I really love this post, it is so informative. The photos looks so nice and their tradition is so alive. Thanks for sharing this post!
Mei and Kerstin
Thanks Ghia!
Candy
I would help celebrate to say goodbye to winter! Hahahah, I always look forward to the warmer months 🙂
Mei and Kerstin
Haha! We do too! Winter can be beautiful but one month would be enough, don’t you think? 🙂
Jennifer
I am all for saying goodbye to winter. I would probably participate in any celebration that centred on welcoming more sunshine and spring. I bet the soup is good too.
Mei and Kerstin
Yep! The soup is good to warm up. 🙂
Michael Hodgson
What a spectacular thing to see … I have never heard of this tradition but now, have to put in on my list of things I want to see personally! Love your photo of it.
Mei and Kerstin
It can be quite spectacular to see such a huge structure being burned off to the ground!
laura
WHAAAT this is so cooL! I love this tradition. Never heard of it but such a fun read!
Mei and Kerstin
Thanks Laura. Always glad to share some lesser-known stuff with you guys! 🙂