Closing of the Octave of Our Lady of Luxembourg - 2007
 

The Grand Ducal Family at the procession of the closing of the Octave of Our Lady of Luxembourg

PPE Agency

Yay! New pics of the family! That was a long time ;) Wow Tessy looks pregnant.

Thanks for the pictures tdarlene. :flowers:

I can't believe that they say that Guillaume is Félix and vice versa!!! if you pay attention to the caption, you'll see that!!!

Poor guys...always getting their names mixed up in these captions [I've seen it more than once]. They look alike, but Felix is taller and thinner, and Guillaume is such a cute little teddybear! :heartflower:

Beautiful pictures! The GD looks wonderful as always.

I have a lil question...does anyone know what the Closing of the Octave of Our Lady of Luxembourg was about? I can guess it was a religious event, but does anyone know anything else?

I also did not know what the event was about, it did not happen last year, or years before, i only see it this year.And it's a big gathering of the Grand Ducal family as well.

Found something

The Octave in honour of Our Lady is the year’s principal religious event. It usually takes place during the second half of April, over a period of 14 days, when parishioners from this country and from the Eifel in Germany, the Belgian province of Luxembourg and France’s Lorraine region make a pilgrimage to the Cathedral in the Luxembourg capital. The tradition began in 1666, when the council of the then province of Luxembourg chose Maria, Consolatrix Afflictorum to be the country’s patron saint, calling upon Her to protect the people from the plague. The origin of the statue of Mary, carved from dark wood, has not been historically established. What is known is that in 1666, Jesuits brought it from the old Glacis chapel to today’s Cathedral, which was then a Jesuit church. During the period of the Octave, the statue of Mary stands on a special altar in the main choir.


The pilgrims form a procession on the outskirts of the city, then proceed on foot to the Cathedral. During the Octave, each parish and participating organisation sponsors its own Masses. After devotions in the Cathedral, pilgrims can obtain food and drink at the Octave market (Oktavsmäertchen) on Place Guillaume (Knuedler). The market has long been a part of the Octave tradition, and some stands sell religious articles and souvenirs.


The Octave concludes with the festive procession which carries the statue of Mary through the capital’s streets. Those in the cortege include members of the Grand Ducal house, representatives of the Government, the Chamber of Deputies, the Courts of Justice and other institutions.


Guess it happens every year.
by the way I found this on
Ambassade du Luxembourg

Were any of Grand Duke Henri's brothers & sisters present?

Very nice pictures indeed. The Grand Duchess is looking very well recently, and seems to have lost a lot of weight. The same goes for Guillaume (losing weight).
Princess Alexandra looks very pretty, as usual.

Tessy shouled work a bit on her posture, standing curved like she seems to be is not good for the backbone. It is nice to see how she is included by the family, what a difference from the way Helene Vestur was treated in the past.

A pity that the other members of the GD family seemed to be missing. I would hae liked to see Guillaume and his lovely Sybilla, and the old Grand Duke too.

Does Princess Marie-Astrid still attend events such as like this one, or on the National Day anymore, Marengo?I rarely see her, only see her along with her husband and children were at the Silver Wedding of Grand Ducal couple last July. The Grand Duke, i think due to his advanced age, he might not be able to take part in event such as like this which has lots of walkings, he could feel tired.

I don't believe she does, neither does Princess Marguerite. They both seem to be dedicated to their families in Geneva and Brussels respectively.
You are right that they only participate in more formal celebrations, mainly to do with family, like the enthronement of Henri, silver weddings etc.

But Nikolaus and Margaretha are sometimes present at the Nationald Day of Liechtenstein. There where photos of them there last year.

True, they attended with their children I believe. But that was an exceptional case to, I don't think they attend each year.

Very true. Both had similar situations but different outcomes. I believe Maria Theresa has alot to do with this. Such a loving and modern woman.