That isn't quite accurate. A logger's attached handlers will always be offered a chance to handle an event if the logger's level and filters allow. However, the event is not actually passed to ancestor loggers - it is directly offered to any handlers attached to ancestor loggers, until a logger is encountered where propagate is false - and that is the last logger whose handlers are offered the event. All handlers have their own levels and filters and may or may not process an event according to those levels and filters.