The Grand Duke's Official Birthday (
Luxembourgish
Luxembourgish ( ; also ''Luxemburgish'', ''Luxembourgian'', ''Letzebu(e)rgesch''; ) is a West Germanic language that is spoken mainly in Luxembourg. About 400,000 people speak Luxembourgish worldwide.
The language is standardized and officiall ...
: ''Groussherzogsgebuertsdag'', ), also known as Luxembourgish National Day (, , ), is celebrated as the annual
national holiday of
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
. It is celebrated on 23 June, although this has never been the actual birthday of any ruler of Luxembourg. When the
monarch of Luxembourg is female, it is known as the Grand Duchess's Official Birthday.
Development of the holiday
The monarch's birthday has not always been celebrated on 23 June. Under
William I William I may refer to:
Kings
* William the Conqueror (–1087), also known as William I, King of England
* William I of Sicily (died 1166)
* William I of Scotland (died 1214), known as William the Lion
* William I of the Netherlands and Luxembour ...
(1815–1840), the date was 24 April (although his actual birthday was 24 August), and under
William II (1840–1849), it was 6 December, his actual birthday. Because William I abdicated between 24 April and 6 December, the holiday was celebrated twice in 1840.
Under
William III (1849–1890), the date was set at 17 June until 1859, after which his birthday was celebrated on 19 February, two days after his actual birthday.
With the separation of the
orders of succession, the
Dutch and Luxembourgish thrones split in 1890. The
Nassau-Weilburg
The House of Nassau-Weilburg, a branch of the House of Nassau, ruled a division of the County of Nassau, which was a state in what is now Germany, then part of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1344 to 1806.
On 17 July 1806, upon the dissolution of t ...
monarchs celebrated their official birthdays on their actual birthdays. In 1947, the day was declared the 'national holiday'.
As both the then-reigning
Charlotte and the
heir apparent
An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...
(and
regent
In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
)
Jean
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* J ...
were born in January, it was feared that their actual birthdays, therefore the nation's holiday, would be marred by poor weather. Thus, on 23 December 1961, the date was fixed on 23 June by
Grand Ducal decree
The Grand Duke of Luxembourg is the head of state of Luxembourg. Luxembourg has been a grand duchy since 15 March 1815, when it was created from territory of the former Duchy of Luxembourg. It was in personal union with the United Kingdom of t ...
.
Celebration of the holiday
The festivities of the Luxembourgish
National Day begin on the afternoon of June 22nd. A torchlight parade takes place at dusk on the evening of June 22nd, and dancing and festivities continue late until the night. June 23rd is a public holiday and processions with the
Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg take place.
[https://monarchie.lu/en/head-state/national-day Retrieved 5 May 2023.]
See also
*
King's Official Birthday
The King's Official Birthday or Queen's Official Birthday is the selected day in most Commonwealth realms on which the birthday of Monarchy of the United Kingdom, the monarch is officially celebrated in those countries. It does not necessarily ...
, a similar celebration in the
Commonwealth realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations that has the same constitutional monarch and head of state as the other realms. The current monarch is King Charles III. Except for the United Kingdom, in each of the re ...
s
*
Koningsdag
() or King's Day is a national holiday in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Celebrated on 27 April (26 April if the 27th is a Sunday), the date marks the birth of King Willem-Alexander. When the Dutch monarch is female, the holiday is kno ...
, a similar celebration in the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
References
{{Authority control
National symbols of Luxembourg
National days
June observances
Official Birthday
A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage.
Many religion ...
Birthdays of heads of state
Annual events in Luxembourg
Summer in Luxembourg