Echternach jumping procession will be brought forward by four weeks

It is a novelty in the history of the Echternach jumping procession: for the first time, it will not be held on Whit Tuesday, but will be brought forward by a month, to April 18th. There are several reasons for this decision.

The jumping procession has been officially considered an intangible world cultural heritage since November 16, 2010. A recognition that presents the Willibrordus building association with the difficult task of “preserving and protecting the peculiarity and basic religious character of this tradition and expression of genuine popular piety,” as then-chairman Pierre Kauthen said in an interview with the “Luxemburger Wort” in 2012. emphasized.

The Willibrordus building association continues to fulfill this task today. In the future, however, more attention will be drawn to this special Luxembourg tradition, to which thousands of pilgrims from home and neighboring countries make a pilgrimage every year. After months of preparation, the details are now known.

Pilgrims on World Heritage Day

The biggest change is probably the date of the jumping procession itself. While this has always been held on Whit Tuesday, this year it will be organized for the first time on April 18th, World Heritage Day set by the international monument protection organization Icomos.

But that’s not the only reason why this date was chosen. The Pentecost holidays this year only begin a week after Pentecost. Whit Tuesday, on which the jumping procession usually takes place, would also fall on the Tuesday before the holidays. This would mean that the participating students, who can stay away from school with a simple letter of apology, would then miss an entire day of classes just before the holidays.

Employees would also miss another day of work, especially since May is the month with the most holidays. The new date in April could also reduce the burden on employers, as it would eliminate an additional day of absence, at least in May.

Jumping procession as a compulsory subject in primary schools and high schools

But there is another piece of news. The fact that the government at the time abolished the school-free day on Whit Tuesday in 2017 did not necessarily help in the past to ensure that more children and young people took part in the jumping procession. However, these are necessary in the long term in order to maintain the old tradition.

A point that the current president of the Willbrordus building association, Marc Diederich, also addressed in an interview with the “Luxemburger Wort” on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the UNESCO label: “Of course not every student and every teacher comes to Echternach on Whit Tuesday, but they would a national day off from school can send a signal. Many families would at least think about it.”

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No agreement has yet been found on this point with the new CSV-DP government. However, the negotiations in this regard have already borne some fruit. The topic “Echternach Jumping Procession” is to be introduced as a compulsory subject in primary schools and high schools in the second trimester from the 2024/2025 school year.

For one hour per week, the students will then delve intensively into the history of Willibrord, the melody of the jumping procession and the type of jumping. The logical step would ultimately be to reintroduce a school-free day, so that the students can also apply their new knowledge.