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> Regional culture > Traditional festivals
Ancestral festivals
Epiphany
When epiphany comes around, it is customary for children to dress up as the Three Kings before tucking into the delicious galette des rois pastries.
Date: January 6
Candlemas and the carnival period
In midwinter, Candlemas marks the start of the carnival season. During this period, the Kochersberg is lit up with a thousand lights during the "Schieweschlawe", during which burning wooden discs are thrown. Depending on the village or town in question, the carnival involves huge processions such as those seen in Mulhouse where carnival floats wind their way through the streets over the space of two days, under a constant barrage of streamers and confetti.
Period: winter
The "Feux de Saint-Jean"
An evening celebration of summertime takes place in the Vosges valleys by lighting large numbers of "feux de la Saint-Jean" (St John's fires), created by setting fire to huge wooden towers. In times gone by, the "Feux de la Saint-Jean" were intended to guarantee a better harvest by helping the sun before it began its annual decline. In much the same vein, the "Crémation des Trois Sapins" (Burning of the Three Fir Trees) which takes place at Thann in June celebrates the town's legendary and religious origins.
Period: summer
The musician's festival
The end of summer is marked during September by the "Fête des Ménétriers" (Musicians Festival) in Ribeauvillé, which celebrates artists and performers against a backdrop of mediaeval entertainment.
Date: September
