Léiffrawëschdag

As every year, the Friends of the Kielener Distillery Museum took over the tying of the "Wësch" on Maria-Himmelfaart. Besides field fruits and various herbs, a carrot and an onion were added to the "Wësch". After the "Wësch" were tied, they were blessed in the Kielen church and then distributed to the people. This ancient tradition, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is preserved through this annual initiative.

Blessed herbs

Léiffrawëschdag, also called Léiffrakrautdag or Krautwäschdag, is a harvest festival whose origins go back to pre-Christian times. During the herb consecration, which was already documented in writing in the 6th century AD, it was customary for the priest to bless various herbs tied together in a bundle (Wesch) after the faithful had brought them to the church for this purpose. At one time the number of these herbs was limited to less than a dozen. Over time, however, more and more plants were tolerated in the bundle, provided they possessed - allegedly or actually - medicinal properties and emitted a pungent odor.

After St. Mary was chosen as the patron saint of the country in 1678, the blessing of herbs was also combined with a procession of Our Lady. Today, the traditional blessing of herbs on the Feast of the Assumption, a public holiday, is carried out only in a few places in the country.

Source: Press and Information Office of the Luxembourg Government, Author: Georges Hausemer

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)