Whether in Luxembourg City or in Nospelt, the streets were full of people on this sunny Easter Monday, to the great joy of those who love ‘Péckvillercher’, the little clay birds that reproduce the cry of a bird when you blow into them.
The Alstad Committee, the organiser of the Eemaischen event in Luxembourg City, presented two new Péckvillercher this year. As tradition dictates, 61 stands offered the little clay whistles all around Place du Marché-aux-Poissons. The success was enormous.
“The Péckvillercher are becoming more and more successful. People fight for the most beautiful ones. We are happy that this tradition continues despite the pandemic,” explained Guy Jourdain, president of the Alstad Committee.
And there were thousands of fans in the capital on Monday, all the more motivated because of the sunny weather.
Patrick Goldschmidt, a member of the capital’s municipal executive, stated that the Eemaischen is in fact the start of the tourist season in Luxembourg City. “It’s something we haven’t had for two years, and we see the success. People came in the morning. At 9am, the Marché-aux-Poissons was already packed”, Goldschmidt rejoiced.
This traditional market also attracts tourists: the capital’s hotels were full during the Easter weekend.
In Nospelt, too, the tradition of the Eemaischen was respected and the public came in great numbers to celebrate the beginning of spring and to visit the village of potters where the little whistling bird was born.
Nicolas Berton, one of the people involved in the Nospelt edition of the Eemaischen, stated that “the last few days have been a great feeling”. He explained that, for many, the Eemaischen is something like “the first spring party”, a place for people to see each other again after the long winter months. “Even if you come alone or in pairs, you always meet people you know and have nice discussions,” according to Berton, who added that, thanks to the event “people are coming together after a pandemic”.
Almost 2,000 Péckvillercher were produced in Nospelt during the 2022 Eemaischen. A tradition that is still very much alive and appreciated.
The full report by RTL Télé (in Luxembourgish):
Emaischen and Péckvillercher - Luxembourg’s Easter tradition
