Streisselhochzeit

The Streisselhochzeit of Seebach, a great traditional festival of Outre-Forêt

Born in the early 1980s, the Streisselhochzeit — "the bouquet wedding" in Alsatian — was the flagship event of summer in Seebach, a small village in Bas-Rhin (67) in the heart of Outre-Forêt, renowned for its flowery half-timbered houses. For three days, generally around mid-July, the village recreated the traditional wedding of an Alsatian peasant couple: ceremony, grand procession in period costumes, folk dances, banquet, and entertainment.

The event, which attracted up to 20,000 visitors and mobilized about a thousand volunteers, was considered one of the most important folk festivals in Alsace.

An event that has not been held since 2019

The last edition of the Streisselhochzeit took place in 2019. Relying entirely on associative volunteering — its great strength but also its Achilles' heel according to mayor Michel Lom — the festival faced increasingly heavy regulatory, security, and fiscal constraints. The Association Culture et Traditions de Seebach, which organized it, dissolved during the summer of 2020.

Despite the municipality's offer to co-organize the event, no association or volunteer project leader came forward to revive it, and the Streisselhochzeit was successively cancelled in 2020, 2021, and 2022. It has not been resumed since.

Today in Seebach: the Seebacher Dorffescht

The municipality has since refocused its festivities on events scaled to its resources. In July, the Seebacher Dorffescht (sometimes called "Summerzeit in Seebach") is now held, a free two-day village festival that celebrates local traditions, organized by the village associations. Seebach also offers other events throughout the year (Weihnàchtszeit, Kaarwe, flea market…).