4 December marks the day of St. Barbara, the patron saint of miners, which is celebrated in the south of the Grand Duchy in particular. Former mining towns in the area usually commemorate the event with processions and explosive gun salutes.
On Monday morning, one of this year’s ceremonies was held in Tétange, a town that has been commemorating the occasion since 1954. Our colleagues from RTL used the opportunity of the event to discuss the long-standing tradition with John Lorent, president of the St. Barbara’s association.
Lorent explained how small aspects of the event changed over the years: “We used to employ real explosives from the mines back in the day, but that has become too complicated with permits. Now we have a different procedure that is simpler. We traditionally use bangers, but this is still not that easy because of ... people with pets. I have three dogs myself that tend to get scared.”
Nevertheless, Lorent believes it is important to uphold traditions: “You simply cannot imagine that St. Barbara’s day is not celebrated with a few shots down the hill in a mining town like Tétange.”
4 December is already part of Luxembourg’s intangible cultural heritage (ICH) list, and efforts are currently underway to also add St. Barbara’s day to the international ICH list.
