Castle burning
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The Burgbrennen (Luxembourgish Buergbrennen ) is a tradition in Luxembourg, East Belgium and the bordering German border area to make a big fire on the first Sunday after Shrovetide (first fasting - or " Spark Sunday "). It symbolically represents the burning of winter .
Custom
Usually local associations take care of the organization of the castle burning. They collect wood from residents and businesses in the community and use it to build the "castle", a wooden cross wrapped in straw and other combustible material, which is usually set up on a hill. In some localities, torchlight procession is organized. In East Belgium the Christmas trees are also collected and parts of the carnival floats are symbolically burned. The clubs build huts where they sell food (e.g. grilled sausage) and drinks.
According to a farmer's rule , the vintners can predict the weather in early summer when the castle burns: "Wéi den Damp op Buergsonndeg geet, esou geet en de whole Virsummer".
etymology
The word "Buerg" has nothing to do with a castle in today's sense. It goes back to the Latin verb "comburo", meaning "burn". It is also assumed that the tradition of castle burning goes back to the New Year celebrations in ancient Rome, where the year began on March 1st.
See also
- Hut burning (very similar custom in the Eifel)
- Bonfire (similar custom in the Swabian-Alemannic region)
- Easter fire (similar German custom during Easter)
- Sechseläuten (similar Swiss custom in Zurich)
- Biikebrennen (similar custom in North Friesland)
literature
- Joseph Tockert: Romanic loanwords in the Luxembourg dialect. Etymological and cultural-historical contributions to the Luxembourg dictionary . J. Beffort, Lëtzebuerg 1910 ( dictionary of Luxembourgish dialect ).
- Joseph Hess: Luxembourg Folklore . Paul Faber, Gréiwemaacher 1929, p. 253.
- Joseph Hess: Castle burning in the Luxembourg region . In: Eifeljahrbuch . 1961, ISSN 0424-687X , pp. 13-16.
- Jeannot Nehrenhausen: About castle burning . In: De Kropemann. Informatiounsblat vun der Gemeng Réiden . Réiden un der Attert, 1990, pp. 37-45.
- 50e anniversaire "Buergbrennen". 1956-2006 . Amicale Nidderréidéng, Rodange 2006.
