Fête des Lumières 2013

Tonight begins the annual Fête des Lumières in Lyon, France. Its origins date back to 1643 when villagers prayed to the Virgin Mary to spare Lyon from the plague. But the festival did not gain in popularity until 1852. Ever since, Lyon has paid tribute to Mary with the Festival of Lights on December 8th. Tradition dictates that every home in Lyon place candles in stained or clear glass holders on exterior window sills. Now, the festival really is a festival, with the entire city lit up with decorations and projection mapping shows on the outsides of buildings... nightly starting tonight and culminating on the 8th. This makes the festival, according to Wiki, one of the three biggest festive gatherings in the world in terms of attendance (after Carnival in Rio de Janeiro and Oktoberfest in Munich).

http://www.fetedeslumieres.lyon.fr/