"During the winter of 1628-29 a violent outbreak of plague had wiped out almost half the city, a suffering still raw when the plague came knocking on Lyon's door once again in 1643. Terrified that history would repeat itself, on September 8th 1643, Lyonnais citizens climbed up Fourvière Hill by candlelight to pray to the Virgin Mary for salvation. Their prayers were answered, and the plague never spread."
"Renaissance portraits belting out Britney Spears' Baby One More Time on the façade of 200-year-old buildings are just one of the things that attract crowds to Lyon's Fête des Lumières. A five-day celebration of light, some two million visitors embark here annually to see the installations, which change each year. Technically, I've been attending the Fête des Lumières for 12 years, when as a fresh faced 20-year-old I drank so much mulled wine"
Lyon's Fête des Lumières turns the city into a huge December lights festival lasting four to five days and attracts about two million visitors with changing installations and large-scale projections. The festival features neon lighting, cinematic projections, street installations, the aroma of roasting chestnuts, and playful displays such as Renaissance portraits lip-synching pop songs. The event has roots in 17th-century plague-era candlelit pilgrimages to Fourvière Hill on September 8, 1643, when citizens prayed to the Virgin Mary and the epidemic subsided. The modern date around December 8 reflects later historical events and adaptations.
Read at The Good Life France
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