Biikebrennen in Emmelsbüll-Horsbüll

The Biike – Ancient Frisian Spring Ritual

The Biikebrennen is one of the oldest and most identity-defining customs of North Frisia. Every year on February 21st – on the eve of Pidersdai, the Frisian St. Peter's Day – large fires are lit on the North Frisian islands, Halligen, and the mainland North Frisia. Symbolically, this drives out the winter and welcomes the spring. Since 2014, the Biikebrennen has been part of Germany's intangible cultural heritage (UNESCO).

Emmelsbüll-Horsbüll – Marsh Village on the North Sea

The municipality of Emmelsbüll-Horsbüll is located in the middle of the marshland of the Nordfriesland district, just a few kilometers from the Hindenburgdamm causeway and the port of Dagebüll. With its two districts, Emmelsbüll and Horsbüll, it combines typical Frisian structures: vast fields, marshland farms, thatched and brick buildings.

Course of the Biikebrennen

The meeting point for the torchlight procession is the Nordpalais at Horsbüller Straße 32 at 6:30 PM. From there, the procession, often led by the community's children's and youth fire brigades, proceeds through the village to the volunteer fire brigade's fire station in Horsbüll. Around 7:00 PM, the actual Biike fire is lit. The fire brigade offers warm and cold drinks as well as snacks at family-friendly prices. Traditionally, a short address is given in Frisian or Low German before lighting.

Culinary Delights

In many families, the Biikebrennen is accompanied by a communal Grünkohlessen (kale supper) – usually in one of the local inns or at private gatherings. Those looking for an authentic encounter with North Frisian culture will find it here: not a tourist spectacle, but a living village custom.