Pretzel Sunday in Luxembourg Date in the current year: March 10, 2024

The fourth Sunday in Lent is usually called Laetare Sunday, referring to the opening word of the traditional mass introit of the day. It is also known as Rose Sunday, Mothering Sunday, Mid-Lent Sunday, or Refreshment Sunday. Luxembourgians have a special name for the day, Pretzel Sunday, due to an interesting folk custom.

On Pretzel Sunday, boys are expected to present girls they like with pretzels or sweet pretzel-shaped cakes. A pretzel is a type of bread/pastry most often shaped into a twisty knot. It is popular in Germany, Alsace, Austria, German-speaking parts of Switzerland and Luxembourg.

If a girl wants to let the boy know that his feelings are reciprocated, she gives him a decorated egg on Easter Sunday. In leap years the custom is reversed: girls present boys with pretzels or cakes on Pretzel Sunday, and boys reciprocate with eggs on Easter Sunday.

The tradition is very popular, and even married couples participate in the exchange of pretzels and Easter eggs. The size of a pretzel usually symbolizes the strength of one's feelings.