Agency Report –
Magedeburg, Germany – Costumed residents of the eastern German village of Spergau took to the streets on Sunday to drive out winter during the village’s traditional Candlemas festival.
“We visit more than 100 households, entering courtyards and houses if we are allowed to,” the event’s organizer Frank Kröhan said, who was playing one of the “kitchen lads” – the most important characters in the festival’s hierarchy.
Ancient custom since 1688
UNESCO says the first sign of the custom was recorded in a manuscript in Spergau in 1688. In 2018, it was added to UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage, which aims to promote living heritage by preserving customs and traditions.
According to UNESCO, it is important that knowledge about Candlemas is passed from generation to generation to safeguard the tradition.
The festival begins with trumpeters blowing their horns to wake the village’s residents up at 3:30 am (0130 GMT), before young unmarried men, dressed as different characters, parade through the streets.
While around 60 people take part in the festivities, several hundred people travel to the village each year to watch, Kröhan said.
The festival takes place every year on the first Sunday after February 1.
