Of Candles and Candy

Over in the colonies, today may be Super Bowl Sunday and tomorrow may be Groundhog’s Day, but here in Luxembourg it is Liichtmëssdag, or Candlemas Day. Ostensibly, Candelmas marks the 40th day after Christmas, commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple. Here, it is celebrated by children making homemade lanterns, which are carried at the end of poles from house to house. At each home, the kids ring the doorbell and receive candy in return for singing the following song (I think they usually stop after the first two lines—before the off-putting stuff about “letting the old ones die”):

Léiwer Härgottsblieschen, Dear little St. Blasius,

Gitt ons Speck Ierbessen Give us bacon and peas.

Ee Pond, Pond Zwee, One pound, two pounds,

Dat da anert Joer gitt der gesond, So that next year you will be healthy.

Da gitt der gesond. You will be healthy.

Loosst Déi jonk Leit liewen. Let the young people live.

Loosst Déi al Leit stierwen, Let the old ones die.

Kommt der net ball If you don’t come fast,

On Feiss ginn kal ons. Our feet will get cold.

Kommt Der net gläich, If you don’t come at once,

Wed da gi op Schlaich. We will slip away.

Kommt der net geschwënn, If you don’t come soon,

On Feiss ginn ons Denn. Our feet will get thin.

Kommt Der net gewëss, If you don’t come for certain,

Da Der Kritt e Schouss voll Ness. You will get a lap full of nuts.

Which leaves me with at least three major questions:

• Why are the kids asking for bacon and beans, if they really want candy? (Although at some point in every man’s life, he’d rather get bacon than candy anyway—so maybe Candelmas doubles as a coming-of-age celebration.)

• Who is St. Blasius? It turns out he is the patron saint of throat ailments (particularly getting fish bones caught in one’s throat—no kidding). So on February 3, he gets his own day, where folks go to church to have their throats blessed in what amounts to a holy flu shot.

• Is a lap full of nuts a trick, or a treat?

Anyway, after making the rounds, everyone goes home to a traditional meal of crepes.

As for Star and I, we fully plan to participate, having purchased a bag of candy that we may end up eating ourselves (our annual Halloween tradition). And I will try my hand at crepes, even if I don’t have a huge flat pan or a zen garden rake-thing—jam and whipped cream cover a multitude of sins. Bon temps.

#russ #holidays