La fête des lumières

Every year on December 8, all the residents of Lyon gather to light up their windows with dozens of little candles called lumignons while the city of Lyon illuminates the facades of its most beautiful buildings with colorful lights. 

The tradition dates back to 1643, when a severe plague epidemic struck France. At that time, since vaccines had not yet been invented, such outbreaks typically caused thousands—sometimes tens of thousands—of deaths, as they had repeatedly in the past. For this reason, the plague, often referred to as the Black Death, was commonly seen as a divine intervention or an inescapable punishment from God. However, Lyon was famous at the time for honoring Holy Mary, mother of Jesus. In the face of the epidemic, the city’s leaders and inhabitants prayed to her for protection and vowed that if the plague were to cease, they would honor her every year in gratitude. Miraculously, the plague did stop, as if it was an act of mercy in answer to their prayers. They thus began holding annual celebrations to pay tribute on the same date.

Two hundred years later, as a continuation of this tradition, a golden statue of Mary was built to be put atop the Fourvière cathedral on the 8th of September for the Assumption of Mary. However, due to bad weather conditions, it was delayed to the 8th of December instead, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. On that day, despite another threatening storm, the skies unexpectedly cleared, allowing the ceremony to take place as planned. For the occasion, the locals were asked to put candles on their windows, as it was custom for exceptional occasions at the time. By the late 20th century, particularly from 1989 and 1999 onward, the city of Lyon began organizing large-scale public events featuring illuminated monuments, artistic light installations, and various performances.

To this day, the festival only seems to get bigger every year. A claim supported by the Guichet du Savoir affirms that this event would be one of the four largest festive gatherings in the world in terms of attendance, as an average of around 2 to 4 million people visit it each year. And the best part about it is that it is completely free and accessible by anyone, at all times. So if you don’t mind a little walking, don’t hesitate to go experience it for yourself!