Among the most spectacular customs of rural folklore in Wallonia is the Great Fire. In our countryside, we lit the Great Fire, either on St. John’s Day, June 24, that is to say at the summer solstice, or on the 1st Sunday of Lent, called Firebrand Sunday. This is an age-old custom.
The Great Fire had a symbolic meaning. In Namur, we were faithful to the Great Fire on Firebrand Sunday. He was the herald of the end of winter and the coming of spring. It marked the end of the vigils. “In the Grand Feu, sizes in the fire,” says a very old proverb from ours. The sizes, or vigils, were held during the months known to be dark, that is to say from November to February.
The Grand Feu de Bouge is lit each year on Firebrand Sunday, the first Sunday of Lent.
Rue de l'Institut, Bouge Namur, Belgique
