CULTURE: TRADITIONS
Among the most widespread and engaging traditions in Luxembourg are the Carnival, which traditionally debuts on Candlemas day (February 2), the Bürgsonndeg (the day of bonfires), which takes place the following week, and the national holiday, which is celebrated on June 23rd. On Palm Sunday, in some places, peasants plant branches of blessed boxwood in the sown fields, while All Saints’ Day is a family day when people go to attend the blessing of the family tomb. The day of St. Bartholomew (August 24), the Schueberfouer begins in the capital, which from a simple trade fair (founded in the 13th century) has turned into an amusement park. AE of the capital, the city of Echternach celebrates Pentecost with a unique dancing procession in honor of St. Willibrord, whose remains are preserved in the city’s basilica. At the sound of a polka, the pilgrims, who are held together by grasping the flaps of white handkerchiefs, proceed through the streets of the city taking three steps forward and two backwards, even taking several hours before reaching the church of the patron saint. On the same weekend, the Ardennes town of Wiltz celebrates its annual Broom Festival with parades and colorful floats. Also noteworthy are the “wine festivals” in the Moselle valley, where each village celebrates almost all stages of the winemaking process during the holiday season which runs from August through November. The typical houses of Luxembourg, built of wood and stone, are those characteristic of all the mountainous and forest-rich regions of Central Europe: often family houses are also accompanied by granaries and stables. The production of local craftsmanship is of particular note, showing clear German influences (porcelain, wooden articles, reproductions of weapons and armor). § Traditional Luxembourg cuisine is of peasant origin and shows many affinities with both German and French gastronomy. Among the typical dishes there are these are the characteristics of all the mountainous and forested regions of Central Europe: family housing is often accompanied by granaries and stables. The production of local craftsmanship is of particular note, showing clear German influences (porcelain, wooden articles, reproductions of weapons and armor). § Traditional Luxembourg cuisine is of peasant origin and shows many affinities with both German and French gastronomy. Among the typical dishes there are these are the characteristics of all the mountainous and forested regions of Central Europe: family housing is often accompanied by granaries and stables. The production of local craftsmanship is of particular note, showing clear German influences (porcelain, wooden articles, reproductions of weapons and armor). § Traditional Luxembourg cuisine is of peasant origin and shows many affinities with both German and French gastronomy. Among the typical dishes there are § Traditional Luxembourg cuisine is of peasant origin and shows many affinities with both German and French gastronomy. Among the typical dishes there are § Traditional Luxembourg cuisine is of peasant origin and shows many affinities with both German and French gastronomy. Among the typical dishes there are Judd Mat Gaardebou’nen (smoked pork seasoned with broad beans), Haam am Hée (ham cooked in hay), Quenelles (veal livers with sauerkraut and boiled potatoes) and Trèipen (black pudding with sausages and mashed potatoes). Beer is the favorite drink of Luxembourgers, but wines from the Moselle valley are also excellent.
CULTURE: ART
According to globalsciencellc, the Echternach Abbey, founded at the end of the century. VII, was an important religious, cultural and artistic center of the Carolingian and Ottonian epochs, and above all a writing desk (gospels and illuminated manuscripts of the VIII and X-XI centuries). Between the sec. X-XIV arose in the region, on the border between Germany and France, a large number of forts and castles, whose ruins still characterize the landscape of Luxembourg today (in Larochette, Luxembourg, Beaufort, Clervaux, Vianden, Septfontaines, Brandebourg). The architecture was affected early by the Gothic style of northern France. Following the annexation to Burgundy (1441) the sculpture was influenced by the realism of Burgundian art (Lamentation of Christ, in the church of Septfontaines). The evidence of the Renaissance style is modest in Luxembourg (Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg). In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries there was a resumption of building activity (reconstruction of the abbey of Echternach, 1752; Orangerie in the park of Echternach, 1761-65), according to the French taste, which also inspired the architectural achievements of the following centuries.
