The last hopping procession was held on 11 June 2019. The following ones could not take place under the usual conditions because of Covid-19.
On this Whit Tuesday, hundreds of pilgrims dressed in white shirts once again hopped through Echternach for almost three hours, holding each other by means of a white handkerchief, in homage to Saint Willibrord.
The organisers feared that the number of pilgrims would be down and not just because of the weather. This year, with Whit Tuesday falling outside the school holidays, most schools did not give their students extra time-off to participate.
But pilgrims turned out in large numbers again this year. Nearly 7,000 people took part in the event, compared to over 8,900 in 2019. As early as 5am, a group of young people from Saarburg were present. 350 pupils from the region also respected the tradition, including a large group from Mondorf.
It was the first time that Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich participated in the procession as a cardinal.
