On Monday 1 April, the Éimaischen craft market will be making its return to the streets of the capital’s old town. Photo: Ville de Luxembourg/Marion Dessard

On Monday 1 April, the Éimaischen craft market will be making its return to the streets of the capital’s old town. Photo: Ville de Luxembourg/Marion Dessard

This Monday 1 April, as on every Easter Monday, the Éimaischen craft market will be making its return to the streets of the capital’s old town. The stalls will be filled with pottery and Péckvillercher, while a number of folkloric events will pay tribute to Luxembourg tradition.

The Éimaischen is a Luxembourg tradition that has existed since at least 1827, according to the Luxembourg City Council. And almost 200 years later, it’s still going strong. Like every Easter Monday, 1 April will be an opportunity for young and old to stroll through the old town of Luxembourg, which will host a craft market as well as folk songs, dances and music. These include the Rue du Marché-aux-Herbes, the Rue de l’Eau, the Rue de la Reine, the Rue de la Boucherie, the Rue du Rost, the Rue Sigefroi and the Marché-aux-Poissons.

From 10am to 4.30pm, several groups and orchestras will be performing in front of the National Museum of History and Art. The Luxembourg City Council will also be offering free face-painting for children between 10am and 5pm, at the intersection of Rue du Rost and Rue de la Boucherie.

But the big stars of the Éimaischen will be the Péckvillercher, clay whistles shaped like birds and sold just for the occasion. As in previous years, collectors are sure to turn up early to one of the 46 stands dedicated to Péckvillercher and other pottery items in order to get their hands on the 2024 vintage of these handcrafted objects.

Nospelt also has its Éimaischen

This year, the Comité Alstad will be selling three types of bird: the traditional orange and blue Péckvillchen “CA,” a special Télévie Péckvillchen sold in aid of the charity operation, and the “Sandra” Péckvillchen, designed by Sandra Pereira and handmade in her Useldange workshop. The first two come from the Ligue HMC workshop in Capellen. Éimaischen will also be an opportunity for the association to present its latest publication, “Éimaischen & Aulebäcker--Luxemburger immaterielles Kulturerbe” (Éimaischen & Aulebäcker--Luxembourg’s intangible cultural heritage).

A total of 600 metres of stalls will be set up in the old town, and not all of them will be dedicated to the Péckvillercher: 29 will be displaying a variety of objects, both handmade and otherwise, and eight will be dedicated to catering.

The town of Nospelt will also be holding its traditional Émaischen on Monday 1 April, where you can watch potters at work or visit the Pottery Museum or the Archaeological Museum.

This article was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.

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