While some people argue in favour of the midnight tradition on New Year’s Eve, others say fireworks displays cause damage to the environment and disturb animals.
In principle, individual fireworks are forbidden by police regulations, although municipal mayors have the ability to authorise specific firework displays for occasions such as New Year’s Eve. However, this is becoming rarer than ever, with around three-quarters of Luxembourg’s municipalities banning the use of fireworks on 31 December. Luxembourg City, Esch-sur-Alzette, Differdange, Troisvierges, Diekirch and Wiltz are among the councils which have opted to ban fireworks this year.
Charel Weiler, the mayor of Diekirch, says that fireworks have been banned on New Year’s Eve in recent years and they saw no reason to change that.
“There is also no demand from the population to allow it again, so there was no discussion for us and it remains banned. We briefly discussed it in the council, and it’s clear to us that it’s a matter of respect towards families with small children, elderly people, and animals. We believe that allowing fireworks does not add any value, so we are keeping the regulation as it is.”
A few kilometers away, the thinking is different. In Ettelbruck, fireworks are allowed this year, but not all night, only from quarter to 12 to half past 12.
Mayor Bob Steichen explains why he made this decision: “We discussed it in our majority and quickly unanimously agreed to allow it for about three-quarters of an hour this year, because we believe that people should be allowed this brief moment of joy, and not everything should be forbidden. On the other hand, we have experienced in the past that despite bans, a lot of fireworks were set off, so we thought we would allow it for three-quarters of an hour to hopefully limit it in this way.”
Fireworks are actually a tradition that comes from China, first introduced in Europe in 1379 in Italy. Initially it was a custom intended to drive away evil spirits with noise and bright light.
To find out in which municipalities you are allowed to start the new year with fireworks and where it is banned, you can find it here! We have inquired in all municipalities.
