Belgian weather in a nutshell: la drache!

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.

The division is more or less like on this map

5 strange words used in Belgium

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!

What happened to the words to the national anthem?

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!

Red Devils are making Belgium happy again

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!

Music from Wallonia-Brussels underrated in Flanders

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 is less easy to get famous and advertised in Flanders 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!

10 surprising facts about Belgium

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!

Belgian chocolate reveals its secrets

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!