Easter Fire in the Villages round Chośebuz / Cottbus

Easter Saturday. One of the traditions observed in Lower Lusatia is called Easter Fire. The fires burn in some 100 Sorbian and German villages. Its significance stems from the widespread popular belief that fire contains a purifying force. And so before Easter the young men of Dissenchen, for example, gather dry wood and all kinds of combustible rubbish. On Easter Saturday at a traditional place they build a bonfire. The best place is a hill, because there is a saying that the further the fire is visible, the more fertile the land will be in the coming year.

The Night before Easter Sunday. The young people of the neighbouring parish often attempt to light the fire before midnight, so it must be carefully guarded until the proper moment arrives. Exactly at midnight the Easter Fire is lit. Boisterously the boys jump over the flames. High spirits are let loose and, in the same way as in the Schleife region, this leads to all kinds of pranks, such as doors being taken off their hinges and hidden or chimneys being covered over.

If you would like to see the Easter Fire in Lower Lusatia, the Sorbian Cultural Information Office "Lodka" in Cottbus will be glad to tell you the right places and give you further information:

Sorbian Cultural Information Office "LODKA"
Augusta-Bebelowa droga 82
D-03046 Chośebuz/Cottbus
Lužyca
Germany

tel. 0355-48576-469
fax. 0355-48576-469
email: stiftung-lodka@sorben.com