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The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg holds an annual 2-week celebration in honor of Our Lady of Luxembourg, Maria Mater Jesu, Consolatrix Afflictorum, Patrona Civitatis et Patriae Luxemburgensis—translated as "Mary, Mother Jesus, Consoler of the Afflicted, Patroness of the City and Country of Luxembourg." It traditionally starts on the third Sunday after Easter and ends on the fifth Sunday after Easter.
Made of lime wood and measuring 73 cm, the statue of Our Lady of Luxembourg is known since 1624 when on December 8th, the day of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, students of the local Jesuit school carried the Madonna to an open space outside of the fortress of Luxembourg and placed it under a wooden cross. |
By 1630 the numbers of pilgrims had reached about 30,000. In 1639, the pilgrimage was celebrated at the Jesuit church for the first time because of the large number of people attending. On the last day, the Madonna was brought back to the pilgrimage church in a grand procession, the origins of today's closing procession.
Already in 1666, the city of Luxembourg had chosen the Virgin Mary as patroness. The celebrations were soon moved from October to the time after Easter. Baroque books of miracles tell numerous stories of answered prayers and faith healing during that time. The pilgrimage was elongated to two weeks in the early 1920s.
While religious festivities are held throughout the whole two weeks, the closing procession is without a doubt the pinnacle of the celebrations. Every year various members of the royal family attend the different events. Holding their rosary firmly in hand, many members of the family make it a priority to be in Luxembourg for the closing procession. They are joined by Catholics from all over the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg as well as the neighboring Lorraine, the Belgian Ardennes and other regions of France and Belgium.
Adapted from Luxarazzi