Lyon, France, celebrates annual Festival of Lights

Dec 18, '16, 3:54 pm

Dwyer Regular Member   Join Date: February 26, 2007 Posts: 1,361 Religion: Byzantine Catholic

Lyon, France, celebrates annual Festival of Lights Quote: 3-day event pays tribute to the Virgin Mary http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/lyon-fr...ghts-1.3889952 http://www.carnifest.com/events/fran...8res-2016.aspx Quote: The origins of the festival date to 1643 when Lyon was struck by plague. On September 8, 1643 the municipal councillors (échevins) promised to pay tribute to Mary if the town was spared. Ever since, a solemn procession makes its way to the Basilica of Fourvière on 8 December (the feast of the Immaculate Conception) to light candles and give offerings in the name of Mary. In part, the event thus commemorates the day Lyon was consecrated to the Virgin Mary[8] . . . In 1852, it became a popular festival when a statue of the Virgin Mary was erected next to the Basilica, overlooking the city.[2] Now a focal point of the festival, the statue was created by the renowned sculptor Joseph-Hugues Fabisch and was sponsored by several notable Lyonnais Catholics. It was then accepted by Maurice Cardinal de Bonald in 1850. The inauguration of the statue was due to take place on September 8, 1852, the day of celebration of the Nativity of the Virgin. However, the flooding of the Saône prevented the statue from being ready. The archbishop, with the agreement of a committee of lay people, therefore chose to move the date back to the 8 December[2] . . . By 1852 in Lyon, December 8 had already been a celebration for the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin.[2] Leading up to the inauguration, everything was in place for the festivities: The statue was lit up with flares, fireworks were readied for launching from the top of Fourvière Hill and marching bands were set to play in the streets. The prominent Catholics of the time suggested lighting up the façades of their homes as was traditionally done for major events such as royal processions and military victories. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festival_of_Lights_(Lyon) __________________ "It's a free country; you can say whatever you want." --Old American Saying (U.S. Postal Service stamp-- from 1977 Americana series which extols freedom of speech and features a Speaker's Stand decorated with an American Flag shield.)