Lullus Festival

Lullus Festival and Lullus Fire

The Lullus Festival (also known colloquially in the region as Lolls ) is one of the oldest popular festivals in Germany. It is celebrated on the approximately 1.3 hectare market square and on parts of the approximately 0.5 hectare adjacent Linggplatz in downtown Bad Hersfeld . The festival takes place every year in the week of October 16 and is also known as Bad Hersfeld's “ fifth season ”. The number of visitors is around 500,000 per year.

history

The festival takes its name from Archbishop Lullus of Mainz . He was the successor of Boniface on the Mainz bishopric. He founded the Benedictine monastery in Bad Hersfeld around 769 . On October 16, 786, Lullus died at the age of 80 in Hersfeld.

On April 7, 852 , the new Carolingian columned basilica was consecrated. The reburial of Lullus, Wigbert and Witta in this basilica ( translatio ) through a procession and a church celebration took place on October 16 of the same year. This then led to an annual church festival , to which many believers made pilgrimages to the graves of saints. They were called to the tombs of saints on October 16 by the bells all over town. From 1038 the Lullus bell was rung.

The many pilgrims and pilgrims had to be taken care of, so there was probably always a fair for the festival (or the crowd attracted merchants, shopkeepers and showmen). The market was extended to 3 days from around 1373. It lasted from 12:00 p.m. on Monday to 1:00 a.m. on Thursday night. With the Reformation , the church festival slowly disappeared, but the fair remained. So the bells no longer called for the church festival, they signaled the "freedom from Lullus" on Mondays at 12:00. She gave the vendors in the market permission to sell their wares in the open air with no city taxes. For centuries the market offered a large selection of fabrics, knitwear, hats and clothing as well as watches and optical devices. There was also a large agricultural area. Over time, the market became more and more a junk market, where the population from all over the district supplied themselves with necessary household items. From 1911, the Dippenmarkt was extended from Monday to Sunday, with Sunday shopping starting in 1925. From the 19th century, amusement rides and rides were added to the market. As there were more and more retailers (later also department stores) who could supply the population with these goods all year round, the number of amusement and fairground rides increased. Thus it developed into the folk festival as it is still celebrated today. In 2018, a total of 530,000 visitors were counted, which is the highest number of visitors recorded at the Lullus Festival to this day.

Visitor numbers

Since 2010, the annual visitor numbers have been officially determined by the city of Bad Hersfeld and published (via the press).

year	Visitors
2010	430,000
2011	450,000
2012	460,000
2013	450,000
2014	450,000
2015	480,000
2016	460,000
2017	505,000
2018	530,000
2019	490,000

Ignition of the Lullus fire at the Lullus Festival 2018

The Lullus fire in 2019

Lullus fire

The Lullus fire ( Fierche ) and the erection of a wooden hut can be traced back to the time of the church festival. The hut was set up for the pilgrims who had no shelter and who were supplied with food by the fire. But there are also other possible origins for hut construction and fire. The fire could have something to do with the first wooden church. Another explanation could also be that the fire served as a signal for expelled Christians from the near border area to the still pagan Thuringians and Saxons. They sought refuge at the monastery and found accommodation in the hut.

Ignition has been accompanied by an alternating phrase since the 1920s. The fire burned earlier from Monday noon to Thursday midnight. At the end of the 11th century, the fire was brought forward by six hours to 6 p.m. In 1986, on the initiative of the incumbent mayor Hartmut H. Boehmer, the fire was put out from Thursday to Sunday. The fire was quietly buried until 1932.

Oral tradition says that if the fire was lit too late or the fire went out, the Lullus Festival would go to Fulda . This goes back to the age-old rivalry between the two monasteries.

Enner, zwoon, dräi - Brother Lolls (Der Lollsruf)

There are various exclamations in honor of Lullus for the Lullus Festival, especially for the torchlight and the pageant. Until the fire is lit one shouts: “Enner, zwoon, dräi - Budewähn!” (Booth car, the carriages of the showmen). When the Lullus fire has been lit one calls out (usually after calling out “Attack!”): “Enner, zwoon, dräi - Brother Lolls!”. The speech melody drops significantly after "dräi", whereby the first of the three following syllables is clearly elongated. The origin and meaning of this exclamation, which does not correspond to the Hersfeld dialect, are unknown. He has been called since around 1926. In the 18th century, when the bells were ringing, people called “freedom” (because of the freedom of lollipops) and “brother Lullus”.

The oldest folk festival in Germany

According to some sources, the Libori folk festival in Paderborn is Germany's oldest folk festival, as it dates back to an event in 836. This festival took place from the 9th century, but changed its name and location over the centuries. The Liborikirmes goes back to the “Magdalenenmarkt” that started in 1521. According to the organizers, the Lullus Festival is the oldest folk festival in Germany or the world, as the historical origin is a church celebration from the year 852. The oldest documented mention under the name "Lullusfest", however, is from November 16, 1326, and it was not continuously celebrated: For example, from 1758 to 1762 there was no festival because the city was occupied by French troops. There were further failures from 1810 to 1814 (the resumption took place as an autumn market). From 1914 to 1918 the fire was only lit, but no festivities. The last time it was canceled was between 1945 and 1948.

Procedure in the present

Lullusfest parade 2006: Mayor, fire chief and magistrate

Lullusfest 2018: Photographed from the tower of the city church

Saturday

7:00 p.m .: Lollsball in the town hall of the dance club “Rot-Weiß” Bad Hersfeld eV

Sunday

9:30 a.m .: Bad Hersfelder Lollslauf from Ski-Club-Neuenstein eV 1978
6:00 p.m .: Showman service on the market square in bumper cars
7:00 p.m .: Torchlight and lantern procession with several music bands through the city center
7.45 p.m .: Ceremonial speech in the monastery ruins , ringing the Lullus bell and fireworks in front of the monastery ruins

Lollies Monday

10:00 am: Lollipop in the town church
11:45 a.m .: Mayor's lollipop speech at the fireplace
12:00 p.m .: lighting the Lullus fire, ringing bells, opening the rides and booths
12:05 p.m .: pageant

Wednesday

7:30 a.m .: Lulluskrammarkt (" Dippenmarkt ")

Thursday

8:00 p.m .: Live music on the stage at Linggplatz

Sunday

the shops are open Sunday
7:00 p.m .: Address by the fire master and extinguishing the Lullus fire
9:00 p.m .: Fireworks from the city church tower

Monday

Family day with discounted offers
8:30 p.m .: Free raffle for the showmen (main prize: car)

crime

In 2009, after excessive alcohol and violence in previous years, the “Lolls ohne Prolls” campaign was launched. The number of reported assault crimes decreased from 14 to 8. In 2014, an act of violence caused great consternation, in which a stall operator beat guests with a rod and seriously injured them. In 2015, 15 “aggressive adolescents (with a migration background)” fought in front of the Lulluswache. In 2016 a policewoman was seriously injured by a riot.

Others

In 1806 about 55 liters of walnuts were thrown during the move.
In 1911 there were sixteen shops in the market square. The fee for the showmen's place at that time was 2,161.20 marks. In 2008 there were 50 stores, including eleven rides. This year, the showmen paid the city about 125,000 euros for their stand.
In 1952, the celebratory speech in the monastery ruins was brought forward from Monday to Sunday evening.
In 2011, Volker Bouffier was the first acting Prime Minister to officially attend the Lullus Festival. Guildo Horn gave a concert.
In 2012 fire master Udo Roßbach announced his departure after 12 years.
In 2013, Mayor Thomas Fehling used the official address to propose marriage to his girlfriend.

Individual evidence

↑ Areas of the squares, measured with DVD "City Map Hessen", ISBN 978-3-89446-425-7 .

↑ ^a ^b Advertising newspaper Express Waldhessen (later "Klartext"), No. 1 from August 16, 2008, in the section "Did you know"

↑ 505,000 visitors within eight days: Lullusfest breaks record . osthessen-news, October 25, 2017, accessed on June 18, 2018.

^ Wilhelm Neuhaus; The Lullus Festival in Hersfeld ; Pages 177 to 180; in Hersfelder Geschichtsblätter, Volume 3/2007; ISBN 3-925333-95-9

^ Wilhelm Neuhaus; The Lullus Festival in Hersfeld , Our Lullus Festival and The Lullus Song ; Pages 177 to 183; in Hersfelder Geschichtsblätter, Volume 3/2007; Association for Hessian History and Regional Studies, Bad Hersfeld 2007; ISBN 3-925333-95-9

↑ News - New record in dream weather - 530,000 visitors at the Lullus Festival. In: Osthessen News. October 23, 2018, accessed January 24, 2020 .

↑ 450,000 visitors to Germany's oldest folk festival // picture. In: bild.de. Retrieved January 24, 2020 .

↑ Super Lolls balance: 460,000 visitors - showmen "very satisfied" - BILDER // Osthessen | News. In: osthessen-news.de. Retrieved January 24, 2020 .

↑ 450,000 visitors at Lullusfest // Giessener Allgemeine. In: https://www.giessener-allgemeine.de/ . Retrieved January 24, 2020 .

↑ 450,000 at Lullusfest - Germany's oldest folk festival well attended // Focus Online. In: https://www.focus.de . Retrieved January 24, 2020 .

↑ 460,000 guests at the Lullus Festival // Frankfurter Rundschau. In: https://www.fr.de . Retrieved January 24, 2020 .

↑ 460,000 visitors come to Lullusfest // Focus Online. In: https://www.focus.de . Retrieved January 24, 2020 .

↑ 505,000 visitors within eight days: Lullusfest breaks record // Osthessen | News. In: osthessen-news.de. Retrieved January 24, 2020 .

↑ New record in dream weather: 530,000 visitors at Lullusfest // Osthessen | News. In: osthessen-news.de. Retrieved January 24, 2020 .

↑ Lullusfest as a crowd puller: 490,000 visitors peacefully celebrate Lolls // Osthessen | News. In: osthessen-news.de. Retrieved January 24, 2020 .

↑ "Thank you Hartmut" . In: https://www.lokalo24.de/lokales/hersfeld-rotenburg . October 10, 2015 ( online [accessed January 17, 2020]).

↑ Libori. The oldest folk festival in Germany ( Memento of the original from November 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Website ten.de. Retrieved November 14, 2015. @1@ 2

↑ Libori - historical background ( Memento of the original from July 3, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Website paderborn.de. Retrieved November 7, 2015. @1@ 2

↑ Development and historical stratification of individual elements within a custom complex using the example of the "Lullus Festival" in Bad Hersfeld , inaugural dissertation for obtaining a doctorate from the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Philipps University of Marburg / Lahn, presented by Kurt Braun from Bad Hersfeld, Marburg 1975.

↑ Promote prevention. March 16, 2010, accessed October 1, 2016 .

↑ Police draw a positive balance - 470,000 visitors came to the Lullus Festival // Osthessen | News. In: osthessen-news.de. Retrieved October 11, 2016 .

Jump up ↑ Attack with an iron bar - Suspected Lullusfest racket caught. Retrieved October 1, 2016 .

↑ Wrong Fuffziger - hashish in the luggage - fight in front of Lulluswache. Retrieved October 1, 2016 .

↑ Police: Lollsmontag begins peacefully and ends with a badly injured policewoman . In: http://www.hersfelder-zeitung.de . October 11, 2016 ( online [accessed October 11, 2016]).