Traditions and customs of Luxembourg
What traditions and customs are there in Luxembourg?
Detailed explanation of the customs and traditions of Luxembourg.
Gastronomy
Food in daily life
Luxembourgish cuisine is said to combine the finesse of French cuisine with the sincerity of German food. More recently, it has been inspired by the cuisine of Italian and Portuguese immigrants. Traditional Luxembourgers eat a small French-style breakfast and large meals at midday and in the evening.
Food customs on ceremonial occasions
The specialties are: Judd Gaardebounen (smoked pork neck with broad beans), thuringer (sausages), Luxembourg ham (smoked), friture de la Moselle (fried river fish), pike in Riesling sauce, gromper keeschelche (potato pancakes), kach keis (soft melted cheese), pate and quartz tort (plum cake).
Special dishes are consumed on national and religious holidays, as well as on Sunday afternoons. After consuming these great meals, Luxembourgers like to stroll through the countryside, along well-marked trails.
A highly prized dry white wine is produced from Reisling grapes grown on the eastern slopes of the Moselle River, facing Germany. Luxembourg also produces eau de vie, or plum brandies, made from mirabelle (yellow plums) and quetsch (purple plums).
Clothing
Luxembourgers see their cultural values as derived primarily from their French and non-German neighbors. However, they do not admire the spontaneity of the Latin culture. Punctuality is expected for meetings, social activities and cultural events.
Religious beliefs
About 97 percent of the people are Roman Catholic. The native Luxembourgers are overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, as are most immigrants from Italy and Portugal.
Secular celebrations
Public holidays are a mix of Christian and secular dates, such as Christmas, New Year’s and May Day. Luxembourg celebrates National Day on June 23 as the sovereign’s official birthday.
The night before (June 22) is festive, with torchlight parades, fireworks, music and parties. National Day is more ceremonial, with military parades, cannonades, and a “Te Deum” sung in the national cathedral.
Arts and Humanities
Arts support
The main promoter of the arts is the Grand Ducal Institute, which promotes work in languages and folklore, arts and literature, history, natural sciences, medicine, and moral and political sciences.
Literature
Luxembourg lacks a distinctive literary tradition due to the absence of spelling and grammatical rules and the limited vocabulary and grammatical constructions of Luxembourgish. Writers are therefore more likely to work in genres, such as poetry and plays, that are meant to be spoken rather than read silently.
The great writers, including the essayist Marcel Noppeney (1877-1966) and the poet Michel Rodange (1827-1876), have invariably used either French or German.
Books and publications in French are widely read, and periodicals, literary reviews, and magazines aimed at Luxembourg’s intellectuals are almost always written in French. Luxembourgers who write in French are better able to compose scientific essays and treatises than to write novels.
Because Luxembourgish is essentially a German dialect, German writers are able to intertwine local phrases and sentiments that are meaningful in Luxembourgish, even though “pure” German would discourage such colloquialisms. However, Luxembourgers’ discomfort with the German language discourages its widespread use.
Graphic arts
Luxembourg lacks internationally renowned graphic artists, and its main museums – the National Museum of History and Art and the Luxembourg City History Museum – emphasize history and objects rather than graphic arts. Contemporary artists are represented at the Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean.
Performing arts
Luxembourg has had some influence on modern media. Radiotelevision Luxembourg (RTL), a private company, broadcasts radio programs in five languages and television programs in French and German.
RTL first developed a large audience in the 1960s, when it was the only major station in Europe playing pop music. RTL also supports the great orchestra, the Grand Luxembourg Radio and Television Orchestra.
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