After centuries of continuity—surviving wars, political shifts, and the GDR era—the 2020 pandemic forced the first total halt of the official processions. By 2021, the Sorbian community in (between Bautzen, Kamenz, and Hoyerswerda) was determined to restore the ritual, albeit under strict health protocols.
The story of the 2021 event is one of deep resilience and a quiet, profound return to tradition after the unprecedented cancellation of the processions in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Resilience of Tradition (2021)
The riders move in pairs toward a neighboring parish to deliver the news: "Halleluja, Jesus lebt!" (Hallelujah, Jesus lives!). They sing hymns in Sorbian and Latin as they ride.
Traditionally, two processions from neighboring parishes exchange visits but must never cross paths ; the way there is one route, and the return is another, forming a sacred circle. Why 2021 Was Unique
On Easter Sunday morning, the men don traditional black frock coats and top hats . Young men participating for the first time wear a small green myrtle wreath; those celebrating 25 or 50 years wear silver or gold wreaths.
The 2021 event was a "closed" celebration of identity. For the Sorbs—a Slavic minority in eastern Germany—this is not a tourist show but a and a vital expression of their cultural survival. In 2021, the quieted streets and smaller crowds allowed the riders' songs to carry even further through the Lusatian countryside, marking a defiant return of their most sacred tradition.
The procession begins at the parish church, where the priest blesses the riders and hands over the church flags, a crucifix, and a statue of the risen Christ .
The "story" of the ride—likely captured in the specific file you mentioned—follows a centuries-old pattern:
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