Tradition
photo: Richard Harris
Next week is the culmination of carnival season. Most Americans are familiar with the celebrations in New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro and Venice on Fat Saturday through Fat Tuesday, but probably aren't familiar with the very rich carnival tradition in Belgium. The most famous of the Belgian carnival celebrations is the one in Binche. Supposedly the word "binge" has its source in the name Binche. Whether that etymology is correct, you can take it from me that the atmosphere in Binche during carnival is most certainly one of complete abandon. The continuous cadenced drumming, the orange tossing, the endless conga line-like rondeaux, and the free-flowing Belgian beer see to that. People think of the wild atmosphere of carnivals as a southern or tropical affair, but actually, surviving the third month of Winter coupled with the need to let it all out before Lent created a strong and frenetic northern European tradition. Belgium has preserved and enlarged this living tradition and a number of the carnivals are part of UNESCO's world heritage. Binche is only one of the well over one hundred carnivals that one can attend in Belgium, not to mention the dozens of Laetare which take place at midLent.
The fun begins tomorrow.
Click here for more info and pictures of the various carnivals in Wallonia and Brussels
Click here for info and pictures for the carnivals in Flanders
Next week is the culmination of carnival season. Most Americans are familiar with the celebrations in New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro and Venice on Fat Saturday through Fat Tuesday, but probably aren't familiar with the very rich carnival tradition in Belgium. The most famous of the Belgian carnival celebrations is the one in Binche. Supposedly the word "binge" has its source in the name Binche. Whether that etymology is correct, you can take it from me that the atmosphere in Binche during carnival is most certainly one of complete abandon. The continuous cadenced drumming, the orange tossing, the endless conga line-like rondeaux, and the free-flowing Belgian beer see to that. People think of the wild atmosphere of carnivals as a southern or tropical affair, but actually, surviving the third month of Winter coupled with the need to let it all out before Lent created a strong and frenetic northern European tradition. Belgium has preserved and enlarged this living tradition and a number of the carnivals are part of UNESCO's world heritage. Binche is only one of the well over one hundred carnivals that one can attend in Belgium, not to mention the dozens of Laetare which take place at midLent.
The fun begins tomorrow.
Click here for more info and pictures of the various carnivals in Wallonia and Brussels
Click here for info and pictures for the carnivals in Flanders
photo: Richard Harris
Back to the Grand' Place for a last look at this year's Christmas tree.
Back to the Grand' Place for a last look at this year's Christmas tree.
photo: Richard Harris
Today is Epiphany, the Twelfth Day of Christmas. The Christmas Market is being broken down, as are the Christmas trees in each home and on public spaces. The season is over. One of the things I had the hardest time accepting in the US was the fact that Christmas was one day instead of a twelve day period of relaxation and renewal. I couldn't believe it the first time I saw trees tossed on the street on the 26th. All that effort for one day; no wonder Americans experience such a letdown after Christmas.
Starting with this picture of a snowstorm on the night of the 2nd, here are a few pictures of the last days of Christmas 2009 in Brussels.
Today is Epiphany, the Twelfth Day of Christmas. The Christmas Market is being broken down, as are the Christmas trees in each home and on public spaces. The season is over. One of the things I had the hardest time accepting in the US was the fact that Christmas was one day instead of a twelve day period of relaxation and renewal. I couldn't believe it the first time I saw trees tossed on the street on the 26th. All that effort for one day; no wonder Americans experience such a letdown after Christmas.
Starting with this picture of a snowstorm on the night of the 2nd, here are a few pictures of the last days of Christmas 2009 in Brussels.
A Sicilian man, 35, got himself arrested on New Year's Eve so that he wouldn't have to spend the evening with his wife and family. He first went to the police station and asked them to arrest him but they wouldn't since he hadn't committed a crime. He then went up the street to a tobacco store, threatened the owner with a knife and stole some candy. Mission accomplished.
Remember everyone, it's twenty ten, NOT two thousand ten. For those of us (including the much missed Bernie Mac) who have been saying twenty o one, twenty o two etc, this article about the twenty ten movement is very welcome!