Here is Lyon on a map:
The origins of the festival go back to about the mid-seventeenth century. Since a plague threatened their city, the people of Lyon made offerings and light candles to the Virgin Mary, praying that their town would be spared. Fast forward to 1852- the Lyonnais sculptor Fabisch finished his statue of the Virgin Mary, which was to be put next to the Basilica of Fourvière (a church that overlooks the city). Due to multiple weather problems, the inauguration of the statue was postponed from September 8 to December 8 (Festival of the Immaculate Conception) to finally December 12, 1852. From that time onward, the Lyonnais pay tribute to the Virgin Mary every December 8 by lighting candles in their windows. The celebration has grown enormously since that time.
I was one of the 4 million tourists who visited Lyon during this event, so needless to say, the crowds were ridiculous. In fact, after I was temporarily separated from my group in the massive crowd, one of my friends bought all of us light-up bunny ears so that we could easily see each other the rest of the night. Those ears worked! They worked so well that many people wanted to steal them from us. My roommate had to chase down a guy who had stolen my friend's lapin (rabbit) ears- luckily she got them back with no harm done.
Here are some highlights of the festival:
Parade of Animals
Can you see the dragon?
Light show at Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste
The Fête des Lumières was really a magnificent festival to attend. For future goers, be sure to reserve your tickets and lodging well in advance because all the accommodations go really fast! (My friends and I had to stay in a medieval castle about a 25 minute train ride away from Lyon because everything was booked- not that I'm complaining about staying in a castle!)
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