Two weeks before Christmas, a truely Belgian musical romantic comedy was released in Belgium. "Brabançonne" by Vincent Bal has been in the movies since 10th December. It is one of the rare films in which both communities are represented.
The title of the film is pretty symbolic because it is also the title of the national Belgian anthem in French. The story is about a Walloon brass band and a Flemish one being rival. Both are selected for a big competition in Europe. Yet, a tragic event happens to the Flemish band and a singer passes away during a rehearsal... They really need to find someone to replace him, but where are they going to find that person? ...Maybe in the Walloon band?
A Walloon trompettist of the rival brass band seems to be the ideal candidate, but the challenge already seems impossible. The story goes on with a female member of the Flemish band who wants to give a little help to get to know the musician a bit better... But Walloon band members are jealous!
Former Queen Fabiola passed away last week at Saint Nicholas's Eve. She was widow of King Baudouin (Boudewijn in Dutch) and was the fifth queen in this monarchy. The image that many Belgians have of her is that of a small delicate lady with a large fancy hat and a sort of 60s extensive haircut. More than that, her name sounds a bit like "fabulous"... Fabiola!
Fabiola was Spanish and first worked as a nurse. She then married the youngest monarch in Belgian history... In Belgium, a king doesn't really have any decisive power, but an important representation role. Baudouin was only twenty-one when his father, King Leopold III, died and he was very shy. They made a nice couple because Fabiola was a sober and humble person. Unfortunately, they couldn't have children together, so when King Baudouin I passed on to the other side in 1993, which saddened many Belgians, his brother Albert II was called to reign with his wife Paola as a new queen.
Queen Fabiola and King Baudouin I
Queen Fabiola wasn't just the queen of Belgium, she had something special. She was kind and funny, and a true believer, very sensitive to children and world issues. One of her big passions was music and it will occupy a great part of the ceremony that started today at 10am. Will Tura, a Flemish sentimental song singer, will sing Hoop doet leven ("Hope (is what) makes (us) live") at her funerals, and he sang the same song when King Baudouin died.
Humility, a key word for Fabiola. In her last wills, she said she didn't want to make too much fuss about her death and very simple funerals. She didn't want to be "exposed" and she wanted an ugly coffin in a small chapel, but these wills weren't followed by people, who really appreciated her and wanted her funerals to be something important although the announcement of her death remained pretty sober.
Tonight in Belgium, Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children, will deliver presents, speculoos, tangerines and candy to all kids at home when they sleep... To be honest, I've never believed in Santa bringing presents on Christmas Eve, but I did believe in Saint Nicholas (even though we also receive presents on Christmas Eve!), so it is an important day for most Belgian kids. The week before, Saint Nicholas usually visits primary schools or shopping centres, or parades in bigger cities accompanied by some assistants. The issue is that Flemish and Walloon don't agree on what the assistant(s) look like, and the Flemish tradition is claimed to be racist by some people.
Zwarte Piet
Traditionally, in Flanders and the Netherlands, Saint Nicholas (or Sinterklaas) arrives riding a beautiful horse and he is helped by Zwarte Piet (Black Peter), a black character with long curly hair, a puffy hat, big earrings and coloured Renaissance clothes. Usually, there is more than one Zwarte Piet. They are kind, playful and they work in Saint Nicholas's toy factory, a bit like Santa's elves. Children love them because they are funny, they dance, and they give them candy. Flanders and the Netherlands have a tradition of broadcasting the arrival of Saint Nicholas on a boat in the country from Spain. The issue is that the black characters are played by white people wearing wigs and a lot of blackface makeup, an impersonation that some people, including ones from the African community, found very offensive. Therefore, anti-Zwarte Piet protests were organised in both Flanders and the Netherlands, sometimes supported or criticised by politicians.
Arrival of Sinterklaas from Spain in Groningen, The Netherlands (2015) - by Berkh
Père Fouettard
In the French- and German-speaking communities, the scenario is a bit different... First of all, Saint Nicholas (Saint-Nicolas in French) doesn't ride a horse but a (more humble) donkey and kids usually leave a carrot on their livingroom/kitchen table to feed the donkey and find it half-eaten on the next day. More importantly, there are originally no black characters assisting Saint Nicholas in distributing gifts. Instead, there is this one guy called Père Fouettard ("Father Whipper") in French (Hanscrouf in Liège Walloon) who is a rather terrifying figure and only replaces Saint Nicholas in case kids misbehave. If so, he gives them lumps of coal or whip them instead of giving them the usual presents. Père Fouettard is often depicted as a grumpy white hermit with an ugly brownish dark robe, a big black or grey beard, messy hair and sticks or whips in his hand, or a bag full of them. His face is often dirty and black from the ash and dirt he gets inside the chimney... but he is certainly not a black man to us.
Southern Belgian Saint Nicholas with a donkey and Père Fouettard
Belgian compromise
In Brussels, a capital city with people from all over the world, local authorities had to make a choice, facing the problem of this double tradition of Père Fouettard and Zwarte Piet, and the negative opinions on the latter. Therefore, a decision was made for this year that, in order to stay politically correct, there was need for a change in the habits. This time, instead of white people playing black characters wearing makeup on their face, people of Brussels made... kind of a mix! During the visit of Saint Nicholas in Brussels Haven, you could see youngsters (white, black or other) wearing an outfit similar to that of Zwarte Piet, but their faces were only slightly covered with a bit of black makeup, making it look like ash and dust from chimneys, a bit like Père Fouettard. This still looks quite acceptable, doesn't it?
Saint Nicholas in Brussels with his assistants - whatever name you give them (Photonews)
Luc De Vos, lead singer of Flemish rock band Gorki (known earlier as Gorky) passed away on Saturday 29th November. He was only 52 and was born not far from Ghent.
The band Gorki was made famous in Flanders and the Netherlands with the song Mia in 1991. Their lyrics, in Dutch, were generally poetic and told stories that felt close to the heart of every listener.
In their first album in 1993, the band sang the song Hij Leeft ('He Lives'), which was used as the name of the whole album.
As a hommage to Luc De Vos, Flemish synthpop band SX recorded an English version of the song, adapting it to their own style.
The territory of Belgium has not always been as static and clear as it is now... In Roman times, Gallia Belgica was a pretty big territory comprising Belgium, the Netherlands, a Northern part of France and some other territories... And still, there are territories around Belgium that share a common history, culture and/or local languages with it, including Walloon Flanders, a territory in France! I've decided to give you a list of these territories, with no intention of reuniting them, but simply because they are part of our history as well.
French territories
If there's a part of France that is the closest to Belgian culture, it's the Nord department (Lille, Dunkirk, Douai...). It mainly shares with Belgium the tradition of the friterie, friture or frietkot, which is a place, often a sort of van, where someone distributes fries in boxes or paper cones. It is the only place in France where fries are a real tradition, but I insist, "French" fries are mostly Belgian!... Anyway, Nord was made famous in 2008 with the French blockbuster Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis, which featured local comedian Danny Boon speaking a Picard dialect called Ch'ti(mi). As a matter of fact, similar dialects are spoken in the Belgian area of Mons and Tournai!
Yet, Picard is not the only local language in Nord! Once upon a time, West Flemish was the main language in Maritime Flanders (coastal part of Nord), an area that includes Dunkerque, and, strangely enough, the village where the film took place (an error which a lot have criticised after it was released). This area was part of the ancient County of Flanders, which also included cities such as Lille or Douai. Actually the later cities are in another area called, this is not a joke, Walloon Flanders, and yet now part of France! Both areas became French after the Treaties of Nijmegen in 1678-9 and West Flemish is now only known to very few people.
In the same department, we find cities including Valenciennes, Maubeuge or Le Quesnoy, which are part of what could be called French Hainaut, and were included in the County of Hainaut. Later on, French king Louis 14th conquered them in 1659-78, so that they became French, while the Northern part of the former county became later on the Belgian province of Hainaut.
Borders of French Flanders before 1789
Another part of France which is very close to Belgium and, especially Wallonia, is the city of Givet in the French department of Ardennes. It is, as far as I know, the only place in France where Walloon was/is spoken, which makes it... a "French Wallonia"! Givet used to belong to the Liège bishops in the Middle Ages, but much later on it was given to Louis 14th also after the Treaties of Nijmegen.
Dutch territories
The neighbouring Netherlands, with which Belgium used to form a bigger country, has nowadays two provinces that could be considered as sisters to Belgian provinces: Limburg and North Brabant.
The Belgian province of Limburg is the Western part of a former Limburg, from which an Eastern part was given up for the Netherlands in 1839, and which belonged in great part to the Principalty of Liège and the dukes of Brabant. The current Dutch province of Limburg actually comprises only a small part of the former Limburg, mostly the area of Maastricht. Ultimately, Gelder was part of Limburg as well and it even came to be included in the United Belgian States, but it came back later on to the Netherlands.
In a recent blog post I talked about the possible name change for the province of Antwerp to "Central Brabant" (Midden-Brabant) to favour its Brabantian past. In the Netherlands, the North Brabant also used to be part of the Duchy of Brabant, but it
was given to the Netherlands after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. According to the politicians that want the name change of the province of Antwerp, the two territories still have a lot of cultural exchanges nowadays, in addition to similar dialects.
And Luxembourg
As a matter of fact, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was officially Belgian from 1830 to 1839! Then the Southern part made a country on its own and the Northern one remained Belgian, becoming the province of Luxembourg. Nevertheless, Luxembourg is still very close to Belgium, not only because both are small countries with three official languages. A lot of Belgians, especially those from the Belgian province of Luxembourg, (try to) find a job in the Grand Duchy. Another element was the currency, now replaced with the euro: the Luxembourgish franc had an equivalent value to the Belgian franc, so that nobody really cared about their difference, a bit like Scottish pounds and English pounds (except that it seems to be problematic to use Scottish pounds in London...). Finally, the main private television channel in Belgium, RTL-TVI, was primarily a Luxembourgish channel. And currently, it is still possible to watch a news broadcast in Luxembourgish language at 6am every day on Club RTL... I don't really know why, to be honest!
In a future blog post, I will also talk about Belgian settlers in the USA, who founded cities such Namur, Brussels or Belgium in Wisconsin, so keep posted!
For some reason, people tend to always picture Belgians (and also Frenchmen) with a moustache. It is definitely not a typically Belgian feature and, although some hipsters tend to get one "ironically" nowadays, it is not very popular here... Yet this months, you will probably see a bit more people with it because of "Movember", a charity event in which men grow moustaches in November to remind others of cancers and other health issues. As a support for this event, I have made a list of famous people or characters from Belgium who usually wear a stach, a good way to know more about our culture.
1) Hercule Poirot: Like a sir
Fictional private detective and Agatha Christie's main character, probably inspired of Belgian immigrants in the UK, he always solves intricate criminal affairs with a Belgian phlegm(!)
2) Anthony Van Dyck: The creator
Famous 17th-century Flemish Baroque painter, he also invented an eponymous type of beard-stach, which you can see on all of his self-portraits.
3) Bert Kruismans: The caustic bilingual
Flemish stand-up comedian, also popular on tv-channels of the whole country, he has performed in both national languages and loves to describe the splendid weirdnesses of Belgium
4) Grand/Lange Jojo: The singing grandpa
Funny old-fashioned singer from Brussels, he is often considered as a symbol of Belgian identity and he is famous for popular tracks like the drinking song "On a soif" (We are thirsty).
5) Balthasar Boma: Mr Tournée Générale
Fictive character from popular Flemish sitcom F.C. De Kampioenen, telling the story of a local football club, he is that old fashioned company owner who has the worst pick-up lines and keeps mixing French and Dutch all the time: one of his catch phrases is "Tournée générale!", meaning "It's my round!".
6) Thomson & Thompson: The slapstick policemen
The clumsy police twins are part of the comic book Tintin, and until the 80s, the stach was a popular trend among policemen in Belgium (didn't it even use to be part of the uniform?), which is not the case anymore, unfortunately for those who have this as a fantasy!
7) Olivier Deleuze: The green stach
Co-president of ECOLO, a francophone green party, and also the first mayor from this party in the Brussels region, he is from the multicultural commune of St-Josse-ten-Noode.
8) Bent van Looy: The indie boy
Lead singer of Das Pop and drummer of Soulwax, the thirty-something has also designed his own clothing and is now jury in the Flemish version of The Voice.
Have you already made up your mind on what your favourite belgian beer is? If not, you should check out the winner list of the European Beer Star Awards 2014! Last Wednesday, the 11th edition of the contest took place in Nurenberg. It awarded "somewhat special, authentic beers" from all over the world and... 8 Belgian beers got a medal!
The three Golden Medals: Maes pils, Oud Kriek Oud Beersel and Car d'Or
The competition took a more specific turn in that all beers were classified in no less than 52 categories to make sure everyone would find their own favourite (read the whole list here). Three Belgian beers were proudly awarded a Golden medal (see image above): Maes pils as a "European-Style Mild Lager", Oud Kriek Oud Beersel as a "Belgian-Style Fruit Sour Ale" and Car d'Or (Saint-Feuillien) as a "Belgian-Style Ale", the only Walloon beer that received a medal.
Besides, two Belgian beers were awarded a Silver medal: Brasserie LeFort, as a "Belgian-Style Strong Ale" and Bersalis Tripel as a "Belgian-Style Tripel", and three received a Bronze medal: Affligem Blond as a "Belgian-Style Strong Ale", Hoegaarden White as a "Belgian-Style Witbier" and finally RODENBACH Vintage as a "Belgian-Style Sour Ale".
Eight medals in an international beer competition... expectable in a country where the beer is national pride and most of the beer categories are "Belgian-style"?... Not that much, because US and Germany are the ones that received the largest number of awards... maybe because Belgian beers are not famous enough? Anyway, it didn't stop the country for winning the World Beer Awards 2014 in September with its Tongerlo Blond!
Any idea what your favourite one is? A good way is to try them and tell us in a comment! (You can try the analcoholic versions of them if you prefer... ;) )
Today, an idea surprised all newspapers readers! The parties of the federal majority in Flanders (N-VA, CD&V and Open VLD) suggested a change in the name of the Antwerp province (called after its capital city)... into "Central Brabant" (Midden-Brabant in Dutch)!
Why "Central Brabant" and not "Northern Brabant"? Actually, there is already a Northern Brabant in the Netherlands, constituting the Northern part of a former Duchy of Brabant, which also included a Middle (Antwerp province) and a Southern Brabant (Flemish and Walloon Brabants... and Brussels). Some people see this name change as a good idea to boost collaboration between the Dutch and Flemish Brabants. These regions share the same dialect group called Brabantian (which today seems to be used in media as a sort of standard Flemish dialect)...
What it would look like if they changed the name of the Antwerp province
Anyway, the suggestion was made because there is too much confusion between the city and the province of Antwerp. People don't seem to identify clearly with its capital, a big city with a powerful identity, which takes all the attention in the province, while people from Kempen, Rupel, Mechelen, etc. apparently don't feel very "Antwerpian". By contrast, East Flanders is already not called after its capital Ghent, and people in some part of the province don't identify themselves to it either. Ultimately, a reason for the change in name is because the three parties wish to give big cities such as Antwerp and Ghent more autonomy from their province.
The news caused an uproar on the web and some people think it is part of a series of pointless changes from a goverment that wants to ultimately separate Belgium in two countries. Others see it as a way to encourage a re-annexation of Flanders to the Netherlands, as was the larger Brabant territory. Well, there is also a Dutch and a Flemish Limburg, but... I don't think it can happen, because Flemish nationalists are usually proud of their region and very few actually see it as a part of the Netherlands. A lot more think this name change doesn't really "change" anything, but it would have a cost and there are more important matters (especially economical ones) to be debated now. Liège and Namur are also both city names and province ones, and they're pretty confusing too, but it doesn't seem to matter to anyone...
The idea was already provided by far-right party Vlaams Belang in 2008, but didn't go further on. It will have to wait until 2019 for the legislative elections, because you need to change the Belgian constitution in order to achieve it...
The
(double) item of this week consists of two famous puppets from Liège:
Tchantchès and Nanesse... They are a must-see if you want to understand the
culture of the city. The two characters are usually encountered as marionettes
or giant puppets carried by people at folk parades. People in Liège love them
and probably every kid in Liège has already enjoyed a marionette play in the
Outremeuse district. Tchantchès symbolises the typical Liège chap, but nobody
is really sure of what his name means. Some say Tchantchès is a diminutive of
Françwès, i.e. "Francis" in Walloon dialect, but others prefer to see
it as an ancient diminutive Djan (John) via Dutch "Jantje" (little
John).
Tchantchès is a legendary character who is said to be born in Outremeuse, a
district of Liège in the middle Ages. The name "Outremeuse" means
that if you come from the centre of Liège and the district is "beyond the Meuse (river)". In his stories, he is a close friend
of Charles the Great and always defends him against enemies in big battles. His
favourite way of fighting is by head butting his opponent. He is the
representation of the traditional personality of Liège people, because he is
said to be impertinent, courageous and loyal to his friends. Finally, his big
red nose gives away that he is a big lover of pèkèt, the local jenever drink.
Tchantchès, Nanesse and Charles the Great
Represented with a red scarf around the neck, a black cap, and a blue work
coat, Tchantchès wears the typical working-class outfit from the end of the
19th century, and it is believed that it was the time when the puppet was
invented in a local theatre. He also has a wife, Nanesse (Agnes in English), a basket
carrier, who, although being full of integrity and a gentle character, is also
strong and strict to her husband and likes hitting him with a frying pan when
she gets angry.
A parade in Liège with the giant puppets
Today, Tchantchès and Nanesse are famous for their puppets (or marionettes),
which appear whether in theatres or as giants for a parade every year on 15th
August in Outremeuse. The marionettes are particular in that they are made of
around 8-10 pieces of wood, iron strings and cloth. The scenarios of the plays
were usually written during the 19th century and re-enact medieval
"chansons de geste". Only one rod is used to manipulate the puppet,
which only allows limited and awkward body moves. This gives a funny touch to
the plays, especially when characters are fighting. The play is ideal for
younger kids, because the puppets discuss and interact with the audience, make
jokes and ask them for advices... All I can say is kids love it and I loved it
as a kid.
Let's talk about food again for the item of the week... A small notice: this item is not the kind of cuisine I would recommend for a healthy lifestyle, so don't abuse it. It is called a mitraillette [me-try-IT!], meaning a "sub-machine gun" in French!
Mitraillettes can be found all over the country in a place called friterie or frituur, where fries are traditionally sold in a small bar or a van (a bit like fish'n'chips places in the UK), but also in restaurants and cafés sometimes. You can also find them in the region of Lille in France, where people share with us the same fries culture. In my city, Liège, the dish can also be called a routier ("truck driver" or "road (dish)" depending on the interpretations) and in France they call it an Américain!
The sandwich, consisting of half of a baguette, some fried meat (for example, fricadelle), some sauce (mayonnaise, etc.) and... lots of fries(!), is a revolution. An American friend once said "Who would have thought of putting all these things together... in a bread? The Belgians of course!"
I personally don't like eating it too often, but I gave it a try several times, because I was really, really hungry. Sometimes there are different sizes of sandwiches, so I would advise you to start with a small one or share a regular one with other people... In fact, the taste is not very surprising and not that different from eating fries and a hot dog separately... I can add that there are usually so many fries you use a small plastic fork to eat a whole bunch of them just because you feel frustrated of not being able to put the whole sandwich in your mouth.
I don't know why this fries sandwich emerged here and became so popular... Well, on further reflection, I remember that, as a kid, I always put some fries in my hamburger, so maybe it came naturally to us... But now there are even mitraillette versions of dürüms in kebab bars, or mitraillette burgers in some famous fast food lines! Let's say that all kinds of food got "machine-gunned" with fries in Belgium...
What is your experience of mitraillette? Share it in a comment!
I got the idea to launch a new section in this blog: the Item of the Week, where I will introduce you to a typical Belgian object and I will (try to) do it every week. This week, a light-blue pot you can get in any supermarket in Belgium and it comes from my city... Liège!
Le Sirop de Liège (or Liège syrup) is made of evaporated fruit juices, mostly apple and pear ones, and is a traditional spread from the province of Liège (mostly the city of Herve). It is dark-brown and has a sort of unexpected taste. Unlike peanut butter or nutella, you wouldn't like to put it on a spoon and eat it like that, but rather on bread at least. Personally, I love it on white cheese in a sandwich, because it gives all the sweet taste, without being too sugary.
More importantly, it is also used in the preparation of the Boulet à la Liégeoise, one of the most famous (Liège waffle excluded...) dishes of the province. We use it to make the sauce (mixed with fruits and onions) which will accompany pork-beaf meatballs and fries. After it, you will feel filled up!
After talking to Dutch people, I realised they had the same kind of spread, which they call Appelstroop (Apple Syrup), but it is not quite the same, because they don't use any pear juice in it.
It's history class today and you're going to learn a bit on what Belgian territories used to be. I will only talk about the period between 1790 and 1814, with the creation of the United Belgian States and the subsequent annexation to France... with the creation of Belgian departments with strange names, though shaping the current Belgian provinces. You will also get hints on how Walloons are not "that" French and... actually not that Walloon either!
When some people claim that Wallonia should be a French region simply because it was once part of France, they're referring to a short period from 1792 to 1814, in which the current territory of Belgium was included in the French Republic and, subsequently, the French Empire. As a counter-argument to this, let's say Wallonia is as French as... Flanders! And even sections of the Netherlands and Germany were also French at that time for the same duration... So is this argument really valid?
Map of the former French departments on the Belgian territory
During the French period, it is interesting to see how the regional limits were formed and how similar they look to the current ones. As France was (and is still) divided into smaller departments for each region, Belgium was constituted with nine departments: Lys (Western Flanders), Escaut (Eastern Flanders), Deux-Nèthes (Antwerp), Meuse Inférieure (Limburg), Dyle (Flemish/Walloon Brabants and Brussels), Jemappes (Hainaut), Sambre-et-Meuse (Namur), Ourthe (Liège) and Forêts (Luxembourg). Those were called after rivers and streams, except the current Luxembourg, which was then called after its... forests (Forêts), original huh?... (And today, some call it Wallabama...)
United Belgian States before French annexation
Before this period, Belgium consisted mostly of the so-called "United Belgian States" in 1790, which did not actually include Liège, a principality on its own... Therefore, during the French period, there was not really an distinction between Flemish and Walloons, but there was one between Belgians and Liégeois! And it is only when the territories were given to the Dutch that Liégeois considered themselves as Belgians (and Catholics), by opposition to the Dutch who ruled the big Netherlands and were Protestants. Still today, Liégeois are known to use a different accent to the rest of Wallonia...
As you can see on the map, Flanders used to
only be the name of a smaller territory that included Ghent and Bruges
(Western and Eastern Flanders provinces), and not Brabant and Limburg...
For some reason, the name Flanders was also used for the whole
Dutch-speaking region, while the French-speaking region was called after a local language (Walloon). Before this separation existed, French was the only official language of the country. This shows that Wallonia and Flanders have not always been homogeneous entities but are a recent way to separate the country linguistically invented during the last century.
Miles away from the "States" (of America), these Belgian States did not last more than 5 years and played more the go-between for the former Austrian Netherlands and the future French departments, which became Dutch later on... A complicated story, which cannot be summed up as "Wallonia is French" and "Flanders is Dutch".
Belgian weather seems to be as complicated as its politics! It is the end of summer and everyone keeps complaining about it, Belgians included. I personally never spend a season without getting a sore throat in Belgium. Like in other North European countries, the sky is mostly cloudy and people are mostly... wet! But don't worry, we're used to it! In this article, I'll explain you why Belgian weather can be frustrating, what a drache is and how the country is divided.
Wettest summer in 22 years!
It seems to me that it has never been as rainy as it is today in Belgium. Recently published weather facts prove it... The summer of 2014 was the wettest in Belgium since 1992, according to meteorologist David Dehenauw, who took records of precipitations at the national weather station in Uccle (Brussels region). In June, July and August, we got around 345 mm of water on our faces in total, especially July (117 mm) and August (135 mm), and we also had slightly less sunshine and warmth than usual. All in all, July and August are wet months, so it isn't so nice to spend holiday in your
garden here... Therefore you'll find so many Belgians in Southern Europe (Spain, Italy, Croatia or Greece) in the
summer, together with their Dutch and German neighbours.
Seasons in Belgium
As a university student, it was very hard for me to concentrate on my May-June exams, because the weather was probably the nicest one at that time of the year. Now in September, we also have a nicer weather than in August but kids have to go back to school! But still... don't expect a perfect dry sunny day this month! It is so unusual that Belgian people love to celebrate it with a BBQ or by drinking beers outside of cafés. Summery Belgian weather is random and weird... It just keeps changing, so that whenever you check the weather forecasts on TV or the web, it will always look like this:
Sunshine and rainclouds spend a lot of time together
On the same day, even within a few hours, you can get sun, rain (a light one that lasts forever or a quick downpour that ruins your clothes) or even hail, which is very frequent in summer. That's why I always carry an umbrella and a scarf in my bag just in case... And for no reason, the weather in the morning always seems to be the opposite as the weather when I go back from work.
Anyway, right after September, things start to cool down and it becomes darker and colder until the end of wintertime. Yet, another disappointment is that snow usually comes too late for Christmas and we usually get rain and muddy roads on that day. If you want to go sleighing or cross-country skiing (which I advise you to do in the Walloon Ardennes), you should wait until February or even March, when people are already over the whole Christmas spirit and wish for Spring, flowers and swallows. Actually, spring is usually pretty discreet and fast, because it just looks like any other seasons, in which you also get unexpected showers, in addition to hay fever.
La drache nationale, a cultural event
Typical of Belgian climate, la drache (den drache in Flemish) is a heavy downpour that is unexpected and can ruin a wedding day or anything you wear. This typical Belgian word seems to come from German "dreschen", which means "to thresh or thrash", or from Dutch dras(sig), "marshy, soggy". This weather situation is well-known for happening every year on the national day, 21st July, which is called la drache nationale in Belgian French and den drache national in Flemish (read my article on the national anthem). In an extended, and more positive meaning, the word drache is used for a glass of beer offered in a bar to a whole group of people!
Three climates...
I'm probably not the best person to talk about the weather, but I've noticed that we had three climatic zones in Belgium: the North, the Centre and the South. they seem to correspond with the type of landscape you will find in these areas. Most often, the worst weather you will find will always be in the South, mostly in the Ardennes. It is the place you can actually get loads of snow in the winter. In summer, you can find a some days to wear a t-shirt and a swimsuit and try to take a dip in one of our cold lakes, but it is usually moist and chilly in those deep forests. The North is what Jacques Brel called "le plat pays" (the flat land/country), with hardly any hill and the long beaches of De Panne, Knokke or Oostende, the weather is usually the nicest, although quite windy (don't expect to keep your nice permanent in there!). Finally, the Centre is stuck in the middle of this, with a climate in Brussels I could qualify as "so-so", nothing much to say here.
If you're Belgian, you're probably enjoying your summer holiday trying to get a tan on the beach of Knokke or camping in shorts in the Ardennes... and maybe you're playing crosswords or scrabbles. Here is a list of words that you will probably never use in these games but that are entirely part of our culture!
Zinneke
People living in Brussels like to call themselves zinneke, which in the local dialect means "mongrel, crossbred dog". Brussels being the place in Belgium with the most diversified population (Arabs, Turks, Congolese, Chinese...) and where people often don't identify to either Walloons or Flemish, this nickname is often used to designate the inhabitants in a cute way. Apparently, it comes from the name of a river in Brussels, the Senne/Zenne and its old tributaries called zennekes/zinnekes. Some crossbred dogs (or cats, it's not very clear...) used to wander around these little tributaries, so that the name was given to them, and later, as a generalisation, to people with multiple origins. This word is probably the best one to describe Brussels' identity and its people are very proud of it. This year on 10th May, the city of Brussels organised its annual Zinneke Parade, with people wearing strange (surrealist?) disguises and a competition of the best crossbred dogs!
Peculiar characters from the Zinneke Parade
Kot
This word you will see on a lot of windows with the mention TE HUUR / À LOUER "to hire". Kot is an original Flemish word referring to a small, rudimentary space. For example, a small place in which fries are sold is called a frietkot. The word was adopted in the student slang to designate constricted attic rooms for students (basically the place where Harry Potter lives!). But don't worry if you're looking for a room, nowadays, it doesn't have a pejorative meaning and it simply means a student room or flat share... Little tip for anyone using the word: the plural form in French is "kots" but not in Flemish, in which they say "koten". Keep that in mind, because if you say "kots" to a Flemish, they will understand "vomit!" (kotsen = "to vomit").
Nond*dju
Please try not to use this swear word too often, as people can feel offended if you use it (especially religious ones). The word "nondidju" (or "nondidjo") is actually three words "non di Dju" that were agglutinated, meaning "name of God" (nom de Dieu in French). It is often cited by Walloons as one of the most Walloon words ever. It can be used to show anger or surprise. I've recently discovered that the word was also used by Flemish (and some Dutch people as well) in dialects, so that if you use it anywhere in Belgium, people will understand that you're whether angry or surprised!...
Amai
This exclamation is used both by Flemish people and by French-speakers living in Brussels. In general, it also means some sort of surprise and could be translated in English by "oh my god". A lot of theories have been given to explain where this expression comes from. Some say that it's an old form of "ah mij" (oh me) that has developped in a weird way, other say it's Portuguese "ah, Mãe de Deus" (oh Mother of God), introduced by Portuguese Jews fleeing from their country after the Reconquista and the later Spanish occupation of it. Or it might simply be English "oh my"... Anyway, although it is understood in the whole country, this expression is not really used in Wallonia, where the Walloon word oufti (literally: "phew you") is used.
Crapaude
This strange word is the name given to a girlfriend in the Liège dialect of Walloon. It is not largely used by people anymore, because it sounds a bit too funny and girlfriends probably wouldn't like it. Its meaning in French is "female toad" (crapaud = toad)! Now you get it... By the way, I think the male version of it is labrador, certainly cuter than a toad!
There are plenty of crapaudes in the pond!
Do you know any other surprising word from Belgium? Leave it in a comment!
This Monday 21st July was a day-off here in Belgium due to the Belgian National Day. It celebrates the oath taken by Leopold 1st, the first king of Belgium, in 1831. Last year, king Albert 2nd officially abdicated on that day and was replaced by his son, Philip 1st, on the throne. This year was the first time Philip 1st gave an official National Day speech.
King Philip 1st and queen Mathilde... cheers!
Although this happens in summer, a mysterious force seems to make it rain most of the time on that day and it was the case this Monday, while the days before and after were sunny. That's what we call in Belgian French la drache nationale ("National downpour" more or less).
People gathered around the Royal Palace with Belgian flags, hoping to be approached by the royal family, and... some of them sang the "Brabançonne", our national anthem, as they probably did two weeks before when the Red Devils were playing at the World Cup (see previous article)!
The Brabançonne was actually written by a French actor, Jenneval, in 1830, and was changed across time because it was formerly against the Netherlands (the country we used to be part of) and the music was made by Belgian composer François van Campenhout.
Although a Dutch version of the anthem was only officialised in 1938, it is sung nowadays in three languages (sometimes four, if you count Walloon) and there is no official version of it. This is probably one of the reasons why, let's face it, not a lot of Belgians actually know the lyrics (I can't think of anyone that know the whole of it in my friends)... although a vast majority can hum the tune of it...
In 2007, former PM Yves Leterme mistakenly sang the French anthem (La Marseillaise) at the national day while being interviewed by the RTBF, embarrassing himself. But I don't think it's really surprising when the only moment we hear the Brabançonne - and only an instrumental version of it - every year is for the National Belgian day, whereas the French anthem and the American one are known to most people because it is played a lot on TV.
Most people I know only know the last line "Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté" (The King, law, and liberty) or "Voor vorst, voor vrijheid en voor recht" (For the king, for freedom and for law). In addition, Flemish people often know the first two first lines "O dierbaar België, O heilig land der Vad'ren" (O dear Belgium, O holy land of our fathers)... Anyway, the lyrics aren't that long (only 8 lines to remember for each language), so it shouldn't be too difficult to memorise for once...
Here is the trilingual version of it: O dierbaar België, O heilig land der Vad'ren, Onze ziel en ons hart zijn u gewijd. À toi notre sang, ô Patrie! Nous le jurons tous, tu vivras! So blühe froh in voller Schöne, zu der die Freiheit Dich erzog, und fortan singen Deine Söhne: Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté! Het woord getrouw, dat g' onbevreesd moogt spreken, Voor Vorst, voor Vrijheid en voor Recht! Gesetz und König und die Freiheit hoch! Le Roi, la Loi, la Liberté!
I've never really been into football and I'm sure I know nothing about it, but I must admit that for a few weeks, it's
just all over the place in Belgium.
It's also a way to socialise, when you have nothing to say... You just go
"watched the match yesterday?" and people feel obliged to start
talking. So I watched the "Red Devils", the Belgian national team,
playing against different countries and I was pretty surprised by their
victories. Last Thursday, they won against South
Korea, but they had already qualified for the round of 16
matches by defeating Algeria
(who booed them the whole first half-time) and Russia. Did they get lucky at that?
At least, it makes people talk.
Half-Flemish
half-Rwandan Kompany, Prince Harry's look-alike De Bruyne, slender-limbed goalkeeper
Courtois, 70s Afro haircut Fellaini,
Mathieu Kassovitz's look-alike Mertens
(see below)... a lot of friendly and easily recognisable faces in the crew. Also, they're
around my age, so it's easier for me to identify to them. In addition, we have a record: Origi, 19, the youngest
scoring football player at a World Cup since Messi in 2006.
Don't you remember French movie Amélie?
After qualifying, the
team was congratulated by the Royal Family (aka. Philippe & Mathilde) and will
also appear on the city hall's balcony in Brussels, an honour only for happy few
that marked Belgian sport history (Eddy Merckx, Justine Henin...). Anyway, Belgium is
globally happy about the team, on both the Flemish and the Walloon sides, a
nice example of what a good living-together philosophy would be in a multilingual
(Dutch, French, even German...) and multicultural country... But apparently
politics and football have nothing to do with each other, says the N-VA... Whatever!
But from all this
Belgian passion emerged a general contempt from abroad... French people,
including commentator Pierre Ménès, described our team as overrated and the
matches as boring, like Look, the supporters are falling asleep already!...
well not when we scored a goal at the end! Also, the Telegraph
described the players as "ponies" and claimed that young player Origi
was faking injuries in order to get a penalty... In general, the Red Devils are said to be lucky more than talented.
Let's face the truth… Our
country is more famous for our female tennis players or our comic books than
for our football... But even in the case Belgian plays wrong, we're still
winning, and it gives hope to Belgians, but also to anyone else who dreams of
achieving something big but has an inferiority complex! And the recipe works!
We got an unusually high number of people watching the last matches and we see
Belgian flags on every window. ...And people try to learn their national
anthem, which, I must admit, don't know half of the lyrics!... Chauvinism, you
say? Simply pride, of something that's hardly ever happened and probably won't
last, so let's just enjoy the moment and stop thinking about other countries' eagerness!
Belgian flag sponsored by local beer makes a nice blanket
And if you like watching
football and you don't care about the fact everything is about money and we all
know it's going to end up as a South American World Cup... Belgium-USA's match
is next Tuesday evening and PM Elio Di Rupo already challenged Barack Obama in
a tweet, saying"I am betting some great Belgian beers that our
@BelRedDevils will make it to the quarter final!" I'm sure Obama will
support or at least sympathise with "brave little Belgium"...
Do you have a similar or different opinion on the Red Devils? Share it!
K's Choice, Hooverphonic, Selah Sue, The Magician, Netsky, dEUS... A lot of Flemish bands and solo artists have gotten very popular in the whole country and even internationally. On the other side of the language border, a lot of nice bands have been playing too, but some of them have recently complained about their weak representation in the Belgian media and their lack of budget... Apparently, it isless easy to get famous and advertised inFlanders when you're a French speaker, even when you sing in English. Let's examine the situation and give you some nice music videos of the French-speaking community!
The truth is, singers and groups from Wallonia and Brussels find it particularly difficult to establish themselves in Flanders, especially if they sing in French. Some share the exact same label as Flemish bands who sing in English and are famous in the whole country, but their success is much weaker. It's a pity, because a bunch of them could benefit from being a little more famous, like Great Mountain Fire.
Great Mountain Fire - Late Lights
The problem is that if you want to get famous in your whole country, you first need to be famous in your own community... And here the problem comes from customers and radio listeners. Artists have noticed that the French-speaking public wasn't as curious as the Flemish one could be, probably because the latter is more influenced by a more diversified Anglo-Saxon culture. Walloons would rather listen to famous French or international artists than their own ones, which have a smaller budget. This explains why originally "indie rock" radio PureFM has now turned into mainly a mainstream broadcaster, favouring Pharrell Williams over Soldout, for instance, an electro-rock band from Brussels.
Soldout - 94
By contrast, Flemish people have a certain degree of pride for their own culture and they feel that they need to protect it. As a consequence, Flemish artists are more often considered as celebrities in Flanders than Walloon artists in Wallonia. French-speaking bands usually need to be really good on stage to rely on the word-of-mouth process to get famous, rather than the national media. That kind of thing happens with bands such as the fancy rockers from Piano Club.
Piano Club - Love Hurts
A lot of bands have already toured in Wallonia and France with a lot of venues, probably because their cultures are closer. But it's in vain that they try to be famous in Flanders. Some have been into business for some time now and most of them actually sing in English. However, they still suffer from being French speakers when they tour in Flanders, as they get smaller crowds and venues. People might say it is because they still have a French accent and their lyrics are so-so, and it might be an obstacle for an intercommunity success indeed. This doesn't seem to be the case for a band like BRNS (from Brussels - it's pronounced "brains"), which has been recently building its success in English.
BRNS - Mexico
Some Walloon/Brussels bands only sing in French, perhaps because it's what they can do best. Examples include Eté 67, which was more famous in the 2000s, or more recently Suarez, who has become very popular in the French community (the singer is in the jury of The Voice Belgium, French version), with its musicians from Madagascar. Yet, these bands are not famous at all in Flanders, which is strange, because, as said in that blog post, Flemish singers who sing in French while it's not their mother tongue (Axelle Red, dEUS, Vive la Fête, Arno...) are praised in the whole country!...
Suarez - Qu'est-ce que j'aime ça
Is there a particular resentment from Flanders towards French-speaking Belgian artists? In general, there is very little room for these in the playlists of famous Flemish radios like Studio Brussel, which rather prefers international and Flemish artists. In fact, the only way to get famous in Flanders is to find fame in some other non-French-speaking countries and to come back here with a nice reputation. See the case of Stromae, a French-speaking singer that Flemish people seem to love, as well as the rest of Europe. And he only sings in French...
Have you heard of any other artist from Wallonia or Brussels? Don't be afraid to share them in a comment!
Here is a collection of ten facts that make Belgium so special. I was speechless when I discovered some of them and you'll probably be too!
1) Illegal drugs cheaper here
Party drugs such as cocaine are cheaper in Belgium, according to the Global Drug Survey. Cocaine costs on average around €15 to €45 less in Belgium than in neighbouring countries. The reason is that drugs transit by havens (e.g. Antwerp), making the country a "turnstile". ...In the Netherlands, some of them are legal though(!) Yet the fact that these drugs are cheaper may also imply bad quality... In any case, consuming drugs is bad for your health, so don't do it!
2) Largest electro music festival
Created in 2005, Tomorrowland, taking place in Boom (Antwerp), is recording an increasing success. It only takes a few minutes to sell all tickets around the world. Decorated in a fairy-like and kitschy style, the festival lasts a couple of days and has 16 stages with the most famous international DJs. Also, participants can go to a swimmingpool, a fun fair, watch fireworks and Sound and Light shows, or sleep in a fancy mansion.
A castle in Tomorrowland
3) Lowest proportion of McDonald's per inhabitant
Belgium is the only country in the developed world in which McDonald's is not the most successful fast-food chain. It only counts 0.062 restaurants per 10,000 inhabitants (62 in total), which is seven times less than the USA and twice less than France and Germany. The reason is the increasing success of Quick, the first fast-food company of European origin, born in Belgium in 1971, subsequently redeemed by a French company. With 86 restaurants, it is leader in Belgium, as well as in Luxembourg, and number two in France.
4) Most lethal place for bees in Europe
According to a recent study, bees had the highest mortality rate in Northern countries during winter 2012-2013, due to the freezing winter we experienced. Other causes may include developing bacterias or pesticides. For some unknown reason, Belgium recorded the highest mortality rate, 33.6%, while it was 28.8% in the UK, 14.1% in France and 13.6% in Germany. The news is creating a buzz here...
5) First openly gay Prime Minister in the EU
The 60-something Elio di Rupo, also the first French-speaking leader in four decades, has been leading the French-speaking Socialist Party (PS) for years. He is the child of Italian immigrants and he did a PhD in chemistry before getting into politics. "Yes, so what?" he replied when a journalist asked him if he was gay in 1996. Since then, the PM is pretty well accepted by the population and never hides his lifestyle. Anyway, there is a whole gay quarter in Brussels, so worries... Note that the world’s first openly (female) gay prime minister was Iceland’s Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir in 2009.
Elio Di Rupo and gay-rights supporters
6) Around two years without official Federal Government
By the way, before Elio became PM, Belgium had no official Federal Government for all this time. The reason was a constant disapproval from a Flemish part of the Government, who wanted more fundamental changes, including the separation of Dutch-speaking municipalities from Brussels' district. Different people chosen by King Albert II had to take turns to lead the discussions. Yet, the country didn't really suffer from this lack of Government and nothing bad happened. Actually, the preceding Government was still somewhat operating at a reduced level...
Belgians are globally happy and don't care!
7) Airport as world's biggest chocolate selling point
Brussels National sells more than 800 tons of chocolate every year, which makes it the world’s biggest chocolate selling point ever. A lot of brands, mostly Belgian ones, are represented, and the place guarantees the lowest prices. Read the article on Belgian chocolates to know which ones to choose!
8) Most castles per km² in the world
Ghent, Vêves, Antoing... a hundred of prestigious castles of various styles (fortresses, properties, medieval or not) can be found here. But Belgium is so small that it is not possible to find such a concentration of castles in any other country.
The magnificent Ghent's castle
9) World's diamond capital
The world’s main diamond Stock Exchange is situated in Antwerp. Around 70% of cut diamonds in the world market transit by this city, as well as 80% of raw diamonds. After World War II, the diamond centre moved from Amsterdam to Antwerp. Other important places for the diamond market are New York, Tel-Aviv, London and Mumbay.
10) Brussels sprouts also going Dutch
Despite its name, Brussels sprout doesn't have Belgium as its biggest producer in the world. It is mainly in the Netherlands that the most hated vegetable in America (that I also don't like...) is produced, at 82,000 tons. This cabbage-like ball seem to have been embraced by Belgium in the 16th century onwards, but its history is still debated. Anyway, just eat some, it's really good for your health!
Surprising huh? Share this article to your friends or post new fun facts as a comment here!
Enjoying your day off for Easter? Why not offer your loved ones the most delicious gift ever: Belgian chocolate! As you probably know, chocolate factories are all over the place here and chocolate has really penetrated Belgian culture in its multiple
forms... Last year for instance, postage stamps were created in
Mechelen, with their glue and ink made with essence of cocoa oil, so
that they smelled authentic chocolate! The country even applied as candidate for the "European chocolate road" on
11st April and the Council of Europe will officially recognise it by
2016 at the latest (let's keep our fingers crossed). Here is an overview of what makes Belgian chocolate so good and which chocolate types you should definitely bring back home!
In general, corporate chocolate tends to taste too bland, and be full of added sugar and fat. By contrast, Belgian chocolate is well-known for containing more cocoa and be tightly controlled. It is a trend today to select flavours that reveal the original taste of chocolate (or something close to it), although it might get a little more expensive. But don't be afraid to spend your money on Belgian chocolate, because it is all worth it!
We started it! The country was first supplied in cocoa from the Spanish Empire to be the main ingredient for a drink consumed by noble people, imported from the Americas. The actual consumption of cocoa as a delicacy started in the 19th century, when Adolphe Meurisse from Antwerp and Antoine Jacques from Eupen (a city in the current German-speaking area) created the first chocolate factories and sold chocolate in bar. Legend says that this trend only later got to Switzerland, our eternal rival, but I wasn't there so I can't tell you...
Cocoa beans, basic ingredient for chocolate
One word: pralines! In 1857, pharmacist Jean Neuhaus, who now has a chocolate store in
the Grand Place in Brussels and supplies the royal family, decided to cover his medicines with
chocolate to make them taste better. The idea extended to that of dipping anything in chocolate, including fruits, alcohol, cream or soft chocolate. The result is what we call here a praline (filled chocolate), a must in Belgium. Be careful if you use the word in France, where it means crushed almonds with sugar on it... It's like we don't speak the same language!
French pralines and Belgian pralines
An African story... Later on, another Neuman, Charles Neuman, created Côte d'Or in Brussels, a brand currently owned by an American company and symbolised by an elephant in Africa, an idea which is actually pretty coherent: As a Belgian colony, Congo was
one of the biggest African cocoa suppliers for Belgium, making chocolate
industry wealthy in Belgium, an unfortunate destiny for the African country.
Chocolate earthquake! In the 20th century, a handful of other really nice chocolate brands were created, such as Callebaut in Wieze (East Flanders), Leonidas, created by a Cyprus-Greek man who maried a Belgian woman, and Galler, a factory that started in Liège in the 70s. Recently, Callebaut created a training center, humourously called "Chocolate Academy" (opening in June this year) and which will make easier the partnership with artisans and spread across the world the culture of
Belgian chocolate.
Leonidas white chocolate manons
Nowadays, a whole lot of chocolate types are available on the market, so that everyone can find what they like. The most successful ones in Belgium are manon, a cream-filled chocolate, and more fruity or floral tastes like violet, tea or strawberry...
My favourite one at the moment is white chocolate with crunchy filling and a coconut flavour from Galler! What's yours? Post a comment and share this post!
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