Hüttenbrennen

"castle burning"), is an old-fashioned bonfire custom in many part of the Eifel mountains in Germany.

It is celebrated every year on "Straw Sunday" (German: Schafssonntag, Moselle Franconian: Schoof-, Schoofs-, Schöf-, Schoaf-, Schaufs-, Scheifsunndich or Scheefsunndich, where Scheef means "truss of straw"), the first Sunday after Shrove Tuesday (Carnival Day or Fastnacht), also observed as Funkensonntag.

What all places have in common is that the village youth - mostly male - collect straw and other combustible materials.

In some places, such as Gees, Neroth, Steffeln, Walsdorf, Pellingen, Franzenheim (Trier-Saarburg), a wheel of fire is rolled down the mountain, known in Moselle Franconian as Radscheewen, Radscheywen, Radschiwwele or Raderschläle.

In some places of the Eifel it is customary on Straw Sunday evening to feed newlyweds or newcomers to the village with eggs and Nautzen (German: Krapfen i.e. filled doughnuts).