This Sunday, May 22, 2022, the Grand Ducal family took part in the celebrations for the closing of the Octave fortnight. A tradition from which the family never escapes, except for the past two years, due to the health crisis. The grand-ducal couple and the heir couple therefore resumed the traditions, and this year, the little prince Charles joined them for the first time.
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Closing of the Octave in the presence of the Grand-Ducal couple and the heir couple in 2022
Wise as a picture, attentive and calm, there was no doubt that Prince Charles, who has just celebrated his two years, was fully capable of behaving well throughout the Octave mass, at the cathedral of Our Lady of Luxemburg. The son of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Grand Duchess Stéphanie attended the closing celebrations of the Octave fortnight for the first time.
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In 2019, the pontifical closing Mass of the Octave was special since it took place a month after the death of Grand Duke Jean. It was therefore a bereaved Grand Ducal family who attended the celebrations. In 2020, due to the health crisis, all Octave celebrations were canceled for the first time in history, replaced by a mass on the occasion of the first anniversary of the death of Grand Duke Jean. In 2021, an Octave Mass in the Covid version was celebrated, due to the health measures in force.
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Prince Charles attends Octave closing celebrations for the first time
In 2022, the Octave resumes its usual form. Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa attended the religious celebrations led by Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, in the presence of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, who were accompanied by their son Charles , for the very first time.
Each year, the Grand-Ducal family takes part in the traditional Octave closing procession and the pontifical mass at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City. This is a religious tradition over 350 years old. The fortnight of the Octave (Oktavin Luxembourgish) begins on the third Sunday after Easter and therefore ends two weeks later.
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During these two weeks, the statue of Our Lady of Luxembourg which sits enthroned in the cathedral is dressed in precious clothes and adorned with jewellery. During the closing of the Octave, at the end of the two weeks, it is traditional to follow a procession. The statue comes out of the cathedral and is shown to all the faithful following a route through the city.
A pontifical mass in his honor is also celebrated in the cathedral. The veneration of the statue of the Blessed Virgin has existed since 1624 and it was 54 years later that the tradition of the procession was created. This very important religious moment attracts many pilgrims from all over the world.
