If you read Lord of the Rings or seen the movie triology you might remember how the city of Gondor asked for help from the Riders of Rohan – they lit beacons on a chain of hills between Minas Tirith and the plains of Rohan.

Wouldn’t you know such a system was in place between the Rhein around the Hessian Ried and the Odenwald. For example during the Thirty Years’ War warnings of armies approaching were sent this way.

This tradition is revived each year in many villages on the Saturday of the last week. These are called alarm fires (or shortened ” ‘larm fires” understood as “noise fires”, Lärmfeuer).

The beacons are built, lit often (but not always) by children with flaming torches just after sunset, the crowd watches the beacon burn low and have a sausage in a bun and something to drink while doing so. And fun is had by all.

Cellpic Sunday

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