Emaischen
Encyclopedia
The Emaischen festival is celebrated every Easter Monday in the village of Nospelt
in the south of Luxembourg
as well as in the Fish Market
in the City of Luxembourg
. Little earthenware whistles shaped like birds and known as peckvillercher are a special feature of the event. Traditionally they were exchanged between lovers but today they are popular with all those taking part in the celebrations.
Nospelt used to be a village of potters who would make the little birds from the small amounts of clay left over at the end of the day. With a wide range of attractions and games, the Emaischen is particularly popular with children. There is also folk-dancing in the streets and lots to eat and drink.
The origins of the festival are not too clear but there may be a connection with the Biblical reference to a potter in the Book of Jeremiah
, Chapter 18. In any case, there seem to have been several breaks in the tradition.
Today's Nospelt festival only goes back to 1957 when the potters once again began making the whistles, with a new design each year. The celebrations in Luxembourg's old town were revived in 1937 by Jean Peters, a ceramic artist from Reckental, who started making whistles from the red clay of Nospelt.
Nospelt
Nospelt is a village in the commune of Kehlen, in south-western Luxembourg. , the village has a population of 754. It is known above all for its potters who were particularly successful during the 19th century.-Location:...
in the south of Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
as well as in the Fish Market
Fishmarket
Fishmarket , also spelt Fish Market, is a street in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg, that shares its name with the neighbourhood directly surrounding it. It lies in the eastern part of the Ville Haute quarter....
in the City of Luxembourg
Luxembourg (city)
The city of Luxembourg , also known as Luxembourg City , is a commune with city status, and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is located at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse Rivers in southern Luxembourg...
. Little earthenware whistles shaped like birds and known as peckvillercher are a special feature of the event. Traditionally they were exchanged between lovers but today they are popular with all those taking part in the celebrations.
Nospelt used to be a village of potters who would make the little birds from the small amounts of clay left over at the end of the day. With a wide range of attractions and games, the Emaischen is particularly popular with children. There is also folk-dancing in the streets and lots to eat and drink.
The origins of the festival are not too clear but there may be a connection with the Biblical reference to a potter in the Book of Jeremiah
Book of Jeremiah
The Book of Jeremiah is the second of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, following the book of Isaiah and preceding Ezekiel and the Book of the Twelve....
, Chapter 18. In any case, there seem to have been several breaks in the tradition.
Today's Nospelt festival only goes back to 1957 when the potters once again began making the whistles, with a new design each year. The celebrations in Luxembourg's old town were revived in 1937 by Jean Peters, a ceramic artist from Reckental, who started making whistles from the red clay of Nospelt.