Spark Sunday

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As Funkensonntag (in Hesse and Thuringia Hutzelsonntag ) the Alpine tradition called the first Sunday after Ash Wednesday , which is the first Sunday of Lent ( liturgically Invocavit ). On this day the old carnival ends in some places , in others (for example in Basel ) it begins on the following Monday.

Sparks with witches in the Allgäu
Bonfire near Sonthofen

Customs

The Funkensonntag got its name from the custom of the spark fire , which is widespread in the Swabian-Alemannic region ( Vorarlberg , Switzerland , Liechtenstein , Allgäu , Upper Swabia , Black Forest ) as well as in the Tyrolean Oberland and Vinschgau and is celebrated on this day. A large wooden tower or heap of straw (sparks) is burned down into which a spark fir with a witch doll is attached.

Closely related to this is the custom of the disc fire in southern Baden . In Vorarlberg, after the typical “ Funkenküchlein” on this feast day, Funkensonntag is also known as Holepfannsonntag or Küechli or Küachlisonntag .

In other regions too, fires are burned outdoors on this day. The custom of the Hutzelfire exists in central , eastern and northern Hesse and in Thuringia , which is why the day is called Hutzelsunday there . In the Moselle Franconian cultural area (South Eifel, Luxembourg to Saarland), the castle burning or the hut burning is celebrated on this day .

Related to Funkensonntag is the Chienbäse custom in Liestal , known in Germany as the fire truck parade .

Trivia

  • The writer Nicola Förg , who was born in Kempten , has the protagonists in the Allgäu region conduct an investigation into Lent in her 2003 volume 2 of the Kommissar-Weinzirl series entitled Funkensonntag . The murdered man is pulled out of the bonfire on Spark Sunday .

literature

  • Reinhard Johler : The formation of a custom. The Funken and Holepfann Sunday. Studies from Vorarlberg, Liechtenstein, Tyrol, South Tyrol and Trentino (= publications by the Institute for European Ethnology at the University of Vienna. Vol. 19). Institute for European Ethnology, Vienna 2000, ISBN 3-902029-02-1 (also: Vienna, Univ., Diss., 1994).
  • Margrit Thüler (Red.): Festivals in the Alpine region. Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy, France (= book entry from the Federation of Migros Cooperatives. Vol. 14). Migros-Presse, Zurich 1997, ISBN 3-9521210-0-2 , p. 105: Schruns Vorarlberg .
  • Matthias Zender (Red.): The dates of the annual fire in Europe. Explanations of the distribution map (= research on the Ethnological Atlas of Europe and its neighboring countries. Vol. 1). Schwartz, Göttingen 1980, ISBN 3-509-01126-0 .

Web links

Commons : Bonfire  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Funkensonntag  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations