Bonfire

The barrel of tar from the myth lives on in the name of the next and final stage of the pretzel feast, the tonnekensbrand (barrel fire). Every year after the wicker baskets of pretzels were empty and dusk had set around the rolling countryside, a bonfire made of straw was lit, and the fire was answered by counter fires from the surrounding municipalities. In the olden days, torches were lit from the fire and taken down to the town and to the fields and orchards to bring light and to wake up nature for spring. It is a pagan custom akin to Apple Wassailing in Britain.