Hallesches Lantern Festival
Traditionally on the last weekend in August, the Handel city of Halle has been celebrating the Hallesche Lantern Festival since 1928 . It is considered to be one of the largest folk festivals in central Germany .
Origin and Customs
The roots of the festival go back a long way and are inextricably linked with the history and customs of the pan and salt boilers - the Halloren . The forerunner of the Lantern Festival was the flower parade. The idea for the lantern festival came in 1928 to the Halle Economic and Transport Association. The beauty of the Saale valley , which is often sung about, was to be put in the "right light" and made usable for the city's traffic advertising.
The walkers who have so far passively participated, especially the children, should become active participants. In order for the 30,000 distributed stick lanterns to come into their own, the festival was postponed to the last weekend in August and moved to the evening hours. Today, even more lights and lanterns decorate the Saale valley between Saale floodplain and Giebichenstein Castle than then.
The maintenance of customs is an integral part of the Lantern Festival. These include the jousting , in which the Halloren push each other into the water on swaying boats with a big hello, as well as the boat parade decorated with lights .
The gala of illuminated ships begins at dusk, so that the thousands and thousands of fireflies (small floating lights) can also be seen properly. Over the years, in addition to the events on the water, more and more attractions have been added on land, such as the fireworks display that is burned down from the turbine sports field and from the upper castle Giebichenstein, as well as the duck race.
For the Lantern Festival 2019, a fifteen-minute laser show was held from Giebichenstein Castle for the first time due to the increased risk of fire .
Following on from the old tradition of members of the Halloren - the oldest brotherhood in Germany - who were once active as swimming masters and "bathing halls", swimming in the Saale is also accepted with a "Saale swimming license". In all event areas from Peißnitzinsel , Ziegelwiese via Riveufer to Amselgrund and Promenadenufer there are non-stop programs with music, shows and entertainment on various stages with the support of regional radio stations. The Riveufer becomes a platform for cabaret, handicrafts and design from Halle.
