Saturday, June 23, 2018

Grand Ducal Family Attends Te Deum

Photo: Screenshot RTL
The Grand Ducal Family continued the National Day celebrations by attending the Te Deum mass at the Cathédral Notre-Dame de Luxembourg this afternoon. The Te Deum used to be the focal point of the National Day festivities but was replaced by a secular ceremony a few years ago. It's still held but in slightly smaller fashion in the afternoon. As it has been for a while now, the Te Deum was an interreligious one, concelebrated by the Catholic archbishop of Luxembourg, the chief rabbi of Luxembourg, the imam of the Muslim community and an Anglican priest. 
Photo: Screenshot RTL
While Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Princess Claire and Princess Alexandra sported the same outfits as this morning with the additions of hats or fascinator, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie went for a different dress. (More on all the National Day fashions tomorrow curtesy of our lovely Heaven who is already busy putting it all together.)
Photo: Screenshot RTL
Like every year, the climax of the thanksgiving service was the "Domine salvum fac magnum ducem nostrum" - "Oh Lord, save our great leader" or something along those lines if my Latin serves me right - played in a different arrangement every year. Other musical pieces traditionally featured were the national anthem, Ons Heemecht, the grand ducal anthem, De Wilhelmus; as well as the Sonnerie nationale, which gets me every year, it's such a majestic piece.
Photo: Screenshot RTL
And a bit of further trivia to round off this post (thanks to a conversation I had on Twitter earlier today): Did you know that the Te Deum is celebrated to praise and thank the Lord for the well-being of the head of state? However, it wasn't customary for the head of state to attend this mass back in the day of Grand Duchess Charlotte who never did, because it was thought inappropriate for her to attend a mass for her blessing. Instead, Prince Felix, Hereditary Grand Duke Jean and Prince Charles did sitting where the Grand Ducal Family does now - Grand Duchess Charlotte's daughter were also in attendance though they were seated in the royal box. 

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