Luxembourg’s Christmas traditions, old and new

food

I usually spend Christmas Eve with my closest family and it feels like the most important and festive day, says journalist Yannick Lambert

Christmas traditions in Luxembourg have undergone changes throughout the decades, with many of the traditional customs not being recognisable in my family anymore. However, some Luxembourg peculiarities remain.

My family is probably a good example of the way many Luxembourgers now celebrate Christmas, with much of the traditional baggage, such as Christmas Eve mass, having disappeared, and food wise also allowing for a wider variety.

I usually spend Christmas Eve with my closest family, meaning my parents and brother, and it feels like the most important and festive day. Food is usually relatively simple, involving a cold platter of seafood or charcuterie, preceded by the obligatory crémant and snacks. There are some disagreements as to whether Christmas Eve is the most important day, but from my family’s perspective it certainly feels like it is.

Traditionally, on the 24 December, some families go to midnight mass, and some families open their presents after returning from church, but this tradition has been rapidly dwindling with the increasing secularisation and diversity of the country. The alternative is to go to mass on Christmas day itself.

Traditionally, Luxembourgers would eat Träipen (blood sausage) with mashed potatoes and applesauce after Christmas mass. Nowadays, the meal is a little less typical and reflects different regional and global influences, such as turkey, goose, lobster, prawns, and bûche de noël or stollen for dessert.

A nativity play in Beggen in 2013

LW archive

It is common to give gifts to family members. Children are often told that the Chrëschtkëndchen (Christ child) brings the presents, but the day is often less impressive and memorable than Saint Nicholas day (Kleeschen) on 6 December.  

Some families open Christmas presents on Christmas Eve, in others the gift-giving takes place on Christmas day. In my family, there is less of a strict tradition and it is usually done more casually, sometimes even before Christmas itself. The gifts are usually rather small compared to birthday gifts or father’s or mother’s day even. Sometimes we place them under the Christmas tree, but given my parents’ boisterous cats, they have given up on that.

In some villages, children perform nativity plays or Krëppespiller in churches although these traditions have also been dwindling over the decades.

On Christmas day itself, we usually invite a lager family circle or we pay them a visit. Here the day kicks off with crémant again, some snacks and some petits-four, and the main dish can vary. Sometimes we have Swiss-style meat fondue or raclette, which of course has the advantage of being somewhat easier to make for a larger crowd, or we pre-order a dish from a butcher or caterer. 

After the copious meal we play various games, such as card games or board games. For those who are still able to stand, a walk is usually due and towards the evening we might eat some leftovers and usually the desserts, such as the bûche, sometimes accompanied by a strong digestif.

Boxing Day is usually more relaxed – we usually eat leftovers and friends or wider family members visit. Sometimes, we just relax within our small family circle, watching classical films ranging from Jason and Argonauts to Lord of the Rings.

Of course, there as many ways to celebrate the festive period and given how international Luxembourg is, it is not restricted to traditional Catholic Christmas.

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