It is one of Luxembourg’s best-known traditions: on the first Sunday after Carnival, bonfires are lit across the country “to chase away winter”.
As every year, the Buergbrennen brought together thousands of people on Sunday. Towering bonfires were built not only to symbolically drive out the winter, but also to bring communities together.
The occasion is also an opportunity to enjoy grilled food and traditional dishes such as Bouneschlupp (green bean soup), Ierzebulli (pea soup), or simply a cup of mulled wine before the season comes to an end.
Although the weather was far from ideal, it did little to deter the crowds. Attendance was particularly strong in the municipality of Niederanven, where, despite heavy rain, hundreds of cars parked wherever possible around the Munsbach industrial zone to watch the spectacle.
The Buergbrennen has its origins in a pagan custom linked to the spring equinox. The fire symbolises the rebirth of spring and the driving out of winter, the triumph of warmth over cold, of light over darkness.
