Lyon, France | I go overboard sometimes: case in point, recently feasted (I mean, really feasted) over the enchanting Festival of Lights for its entire four dreamy nights run. Not to mention, I have urgent academic deliverables during these times which made things complicated all the more. But it's all in the past now, and Fête des Lumières will go down as a highlight of my short history as once-a-struggling student in France, surely be a joy to look back at.
Anyway, I was overly into this event for a good reason: it’s history, as told by my French teacher and my French roommate, who really sold the event to me big time. Storytime!
It all started as a charming Lyon tradition of lighting up the city
with flickering candles in 1852 as a sweet homage to the Virgin Mary, which
now turned into a breath-taking show with dazzling buildings and adorned
historical sites. Every December 8th, fancy letters spelling out Merci Marie are
spotted at the top of Fourvière Hill. And the Festival of Lights owes its
existence to the devoted folks in Lyon who are big fans of the Lady. Back on
that important December 8 in 1852, the plan was to unveil the bronze statue of
the Virgin Mary atop Fourvière church. But the weather had other plans. A storm
crashed the party, canceling the fireworks and the light show in both Fourvière
and the city. Yet, as the storm cleared in the late afternoon, Lyon's locals
decided to light candles and placed them on their windowsills. Taking to the
streets, they got treated to an unexpected show as lines of fire brightened up
the city. And the rest, as they say, is history. Up to this day, some houses still stick to the tradition of lighting candles in their windows on such special
occasion.
Isn't it lovely how such a grand tradition originated from something
as simple as lighting a candle? Spreading like wildfire from a single
spark, or a storm from a butterfly's wing flap? Okay, the analogy was bad,
but you catch my drift. Even then, I wish each of you a December filled with
warmth and brightness— let’s keep that fire within us burning!
