Immenstadt (dpa / lby) – In numerous places in the Allgäu, people symbolically drove away the winter with large fires at the weekend. Apart from Bavaria, the traditional spark lights are also widespread in Baden-Württemberg in the Lake Constance region. The custom is celebrated primarily in the Swabian-Alemannic region.
Weeks of preparation are necessary for the flame spectacle. “After Epiphany, the young people in the villages start collecting old Christmas trees and other fuel,” says the Allgäu Tourist Association, explaining the custom.
On the first Sunday of Lent of the year, the dry wood is usually piled up in a high heap on a meadow in front of the village. “On top of the pile comes the ‘Funkenhex'” a straw doll.” However, the sparks are no longer concentrated in just one day. In several places, the fires were lit earlier on Saturday.
The centuries-old tradition is now disputed because it evokes associations with the burning of witches in the 16th and 17th centuries. According to the Bayerischer Rundfunk, a club in Altusried in the Oberallgäu therefore does without a “spark witch”. In the Lower Allgäu, there are similar considerations for the coming year.
However, the custom is much older and probably dates back to pre-Christian times. The roots are said to lie in a pagan cult to banish the dark and cold winter. Other traditions also attribute it to fertility rites and Celtic burnt offerings.
