Traditional festivals that survived and those that did not

"Halleffaaschten si mär lass, d'Liberté déi ass am Schmass, haut gitt Dir et all gewuer, wat Fuesend ass zu Nidderkuer!" ("On the fourth Sunday of Lent it's time, the Liberté is going crazy, today you will all learn, what carnival is in Niederkorn") The song lyrics by the well-known former smelter and poet Eugène Bernard are probably still familiar to everyone in Niederkorn's old semester. The lines, set to the melody of the song Eviva España, were once an integral part of the Gelli, one of the biggest carnival festivals in the south of Luxembourg. From the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s, all the cafés and dance halls in the village took part in the carnival celebrations. Then came the turn of the millennium and by the 2010s at the latest, the "milk cow" of the Niederkorn gymnastics club was dead.

"Back then, there was a different style of music in every bar and hall, so young and old gathered at the Gelli. Those who remember the early days still rave about it today, " says Patrick Bariviera, President of the aforementioned La Liberté Niederkorn association. Every year, up to 20 locations tapped for the gymnasts on "Halleffaaschten", i.e. the fourth Sunday of the fasting period or the day in March when pretzels are also given away in Luxembourg. They themselves created a great atmosphere in the "Op der Genn" dance hall with live bands such as the Challengers, the Providers, who are celebrating their 25th anniversary in the Atelier this November, and Diesel on Tour, the Gelli's guarantee of success.

Cohesion among club members

"The dynamics in the club were absolutely crazy. Once a year, the different generations would get together to spend two weeks setting up and dismantling everything, then the party would go on until late into the night, " says Bariviera. People came to the Gelli from all over the country. The clubs in the south supported each other: the members of the Beles gymnastics club came to the Gelli, the Niederkorn gymnasts celebrated with the "Geessekomité" (committee of the goats) at the "Bieles am Jumm" and everyone marched together in the local cavalcades to promote the festivities, but also to show solidarity.

A CD with twelve traditional Gelli songs was even recorded and by the time the "Geckekonzert" (concert of the fools) kicked off in the Niederkorn kiosk, there was no stopping the "Fuesboken" (those who celebrate carnival). "In our best year, we consumed 68 barrels of beer. In 1994, we were also very lucky to have booked Cool Feet just before they became mega famous. So people came because of the band, but the rate we paid was still the old one."