KawiBlog · Festivals
Liichtmëss: Luxembourg's lantern evening on 2 February, explained for parents.
On 2 February, after dark, children ring your doorbell holding a lantern and singing. This is Liichtmëss, the first festival of the year your child will take part in, and one of the festivals your child will experience at school. Here is what happens, and the words to talk about it.
Tap a card to hear it, spoken by a Luxembourgish voice from the official LOD.lu dictionary:
Liichtmëssdag, 2 February
Liichtmëssdag is Candlemas. The official dictionary of the Luxembourgish language describes it this way: on that day, 2 February, children traditionally go liichten. The name comes from the Liichtmass, a church feast that itself goes back to pagan customs.
In 2027, 2 February falls on a Tuesday, so the round takes place after school, in the early evening.
Liichten: door to door, with a lantern
Liichten is the verb of the festival: going from door to door, singing, to be given small gifts. The dictionary gives an example families say every year: eis Kanner ginn dëst Joer fir d'éischte Kéier mat liichten, “this year our children are going liichten for the first time”.
With their Lampion or their Liichtebengelchen, the stick that carries the lantern (once wrapped in a wax wick that was lit), children ring at doors and sing the traditional song, Léiwer Härgottsblieschen. To thank them, people give sweets or a few coins.
Who is Härgottsblieschen?
The song is addressed to Härgottsblieschen, Saint Blaise. According to the dictionary, he is the patron saint of livestock, the one people turn to for a sore throat, and 2 February is the eve of his feast day.
Your child does not need to know this to sing. But they will learn the song at school, and it is often the very first one they know by heart: that is why it opens our selection of Luxembourgish nursery rhymes to listen to with a child.
The lantern, made in class
The lantern is often made at the crèche or at school in the weeks before. The dictionary example puts it its own way: fir Liichtmëssdag huet d'Joffer mat de Kanner Lampione gebastelt, “for Liichtmëssdag, the teacher made lanterns with the children”.
If your child comes home one January evening with a paper lantern, you will know what it is for. Keep it safe: it is the one that will do the round on 2 February.
The evening with a child aged 3 to 6
Name the festival ahead of time. Saying “Liichtmëss is coming” a few days before, and repeating the word Lampion, prepares a child who does not speak Luxembourgish yet.
Keep the round short. A few neighbours' doors are enough at three. At home, keep sweets by the door: other children will ring at yours.
Let the song do the work. A child who does not know the words still sings along with the others. The next day, they have a memory to tell, and one more word.
Lampion, Käerz, and the words of the whole year.
Kawi helps children hear and recognise everyday Luxembourgish words, with the official pronunciation, in short sessions to share. Free to start.