Historically, Quadragesima Sunday marked a significant moment in the Christian year. In medieval Europe, it signaled the intensification of fasting and abstinence, with the faithful refraining from meat, dairy, and other luxuries throughout Lent. Sermons often focused on Christ’s victory over temptation, encouraging believers to emulate His discipline. The day also held communal importance, as parishes gathered to begin the Lenten journey together. In contemporary practice, Quadragesima Sunday (as the First Sunday of Lent) remains a key liturgical event. Many Catholics attend Mass, receive ashes if they missed Ash Wednesday, and commit to Lenten practices such as
prayer,
charity, or giving up personal indulgences.
France: Brandons In certain regions of France, Belgium and elsewhere, the tradition consisted, on this «
dimanche des Brandons » also known as «
dimanche des Bordes » or «
dimanche brandounier » (i.e. Sunday of the Brandons), of lighting fires, dancing around them and roaming the streets and countryside carrying lit brands or embers. In Auvergne, anthropologist François Pommerol, who analysed this event in 1901, saw in it the remains of an ancient
solar cult, linked to an invocation of the
Celtic god
Grannos. In
Régny, in the
Loire, the villagers of the town load fagots onto a cart to which they harnessed married men, then gathered these fagots in the square in a pyramid, before setting them on fire. In
Berry, the brandons festival was also called the bordes festival. In
Miribel, in
Ain, on the Sunday of the brandons or the bordes, the last bride of the village lights a pyre. In
Chambly (Oise), the Legendary Festival of Bois-Hourdy takes place every first Sunday of Lent, which has existed since 1248. In
Offwiller (Bas-Rhin), the
Schieweschlawe takes place every first Sunday of Lent in a clearing overlooking the village, where beech discs at the end of a stick are set alight on a pyre, before being thrown by making them spin and then hit on a flat stone.
Luxembourg: Buergbrennen The
buergbrennen festivities centred on a large bonfire are celebrated in the towns and villages of
Luxembourg on the first Sunday of Lent to herald the coming of spring.
Macau: Bom Jesus dos Passos The
Feast of Bom Jesus dos Passos is an annual
Roman Catholic celebration held in
Macau on the first Sunday of
Lent, forming a significant part of the region's religious and cultural heritage. This two-day event, known locally as the "Procession of the Great Jesus" in Chinese, begins with a
novena at the Church of St. Augustine and includes a solemn procession honoring
Jesus Christ's
Passion. On the first day, the procession moves from St. Augustine’s to the Sé Cathedral, and on the second day, it returns, following a traditional
Via Crucis with seven stations. Organized by the Brotherhood of Senhor Bom Jesus dos Passos, the feast features a statue of Jesus carrying the cross, symbolizing compassion and redemption, and attracts clergy, including the Bishop of Macau, and numerous faithful. The devotion dates back to the arrival of
Augustinian missionaries in 1586.
Malta: People's Sunday The
People's Sunday celebrations are held annually on Quadragesima Sunday, the first Sunday of
Lent at
Żabbar,
Malta, popularly known as Ħadd in-Nies, are living recollections of the centuries-old devotion to
Our Lady of Graces (
Il-Madonna tal-Grazzja). The Maltese name of Ħadd in-Nies, People's Sunday, is an indication of the large number of visitors who used to go to Żabbar to render thanks and pray at the feet of Our Lady.
Switzerland: Failles In the Swiss village of
Cartigny, during the first Sunday of Lent, the
Failles are celebrated, a tradition consisting of burning poles wrapped in straw, vine shoots and reeds in the evening when the first star appear. This festival is also observed in the hamlet of
Certoux, in the commune of Perly-Certoux. The failles are the equivalent of the brandon festivals elsewhere in Switzerland. The town of
Payerne organizes its carnival under the name of
Brandons de Payerne with
Moudon and its
Brandons de Moudon. == See also ==