Original and funny: Carnival experience in Belgium

In February and March, dozens of coloured and creative Carnival parades flourish over the whole of Belgium. A lot of them ended a few days ago (on Mardi Gras) and, as usual, have attracted many visitors. Why? Because each of them has its own traditions and stories, and they can provide you with a nice experience of what Belgium is in terms of fun and sincerity. Lots of them were invented centuries ago to celebrate the end of winter, ward off evil spirits and wish everyone good luck for the new harvest. Globally, Carnival is the occasion to exchange roles in society, wear disguises and do pranks to others... a great way to release pressure!


Probably the most famous Carnival in Belgium takes place in Binche (Hainaut province). It is easily recognizable from its main characters, the "Gilles", a tradition recognized by UNESCO for 10 years. Wearing fake fat bellies and ostrich feather hats, they have this very "Belgian" look from their mask, which used to be a symbol of rebellion against the Napoleonian regime. Participants are usually very proud of representing their city. The Gilles also play in brass bands and throw blood oranges to people down the street. The parade also includes a variety of other characters, usually played by local kids (Arlequin, Peasant, Pierrot...).

Gilles wearing masks or ostrich hats

Carnival in Aalst (East Flanders) is a tradition (also recognized by UNESCO) that started in the Middle Ages. Typically it involves "onion throwing" to passers-by and a "Dirty Sissies" parade... Actually, onion-sized candies have replaced onions, to the joy of children!... And the "Dirty Sissies" are not the new trendy punk band in Belgium, but a traditional parade. Because poor people couldn't afford fancy clothes, they decided to make fun of rich ladies by making men wear some ugly, broken or old clothes and accessories (fur coat, broken umbrella, etc.) often borrowed from their own wives!

Parade in Aalst and men in lady's clothes

A very "Walloon" Carnival is the Cwarmê in Malmedy (Liège province, bordering Germany). It is in this Carnival that Walloon language can be heard spoken ritually at ceremonies or by local characters, including "li Haguète", a sort of witch that plays tricks to people, represents winter and is judged at the end of Carnival. Also a variety of characters play jokes in Walloon with passers-by, like the "baker", who uses his/her giant spatula to hit people's butts!

Disguised crowd at the Carnival parade in Malmedy

A last example is the Carnival in Martelange (Luxembourg province), called "Cavalcade". This year, it was the only cross-border Carnival made in Belgium, because it partnered with the Luxembourg village of Rambrouch. Belgian people in the area feel very close to Luxembourg, also because one street is included in both countries.


Traditionally, most of these parades have a "Prince Carnival" who announces the end of Carnival, which also means the start of Spring. To symbolise the (temporary) death of winter, a giant puppet (stuffed with straw) is burned on a public square and the big fire warms up all attendees. Other examples of Carnival in Belgium are: the Laetare in Stavelot (Liège province), "Schnarnaval" in Schaerbeek (Brussels region) and Rosenmontag in Eupen (German-speaking community)... Each time a different experience!

Why place names are so confusing in Belgium

Have you ever experienced the feeling of being lost in translation with signs on the highway written in different languages? If you visit Belgium by car, it might happen a lot, because depending on where you are driving in the country, the signs can be in Dutch and French (sometimes in German as well). The problem is that cities names are also translated and can REALLY confuse foreigners! A little guide to help you cope with it...

If you happen to visit the Brussels region, you will notice that every commune and street name is bilingual Dutch-French. Due to the Flemish origin of most of the place names, a peculiar phenomenon occurs with French versions of these names. A lot of them are written with strange combinations of letters that are not part of French spelling and you often have to ask locals how to pronounce them. For example, the commune name "Schaerbeek" is pronounced in French as if it was written "Scarbéque". And... this spelling is not even the same in Dutch, "Schaarbeek"! Why then?
 
The reason of this is the fact that an Flemish dialects used to be spelled in a different way in the old times, sometimes with rules that were not really fixed, so that one sound could be written in different ways. In Modern Dutch language, these place names were progressively changed to correspond to the spelling standards, but French speakers didn't really care about the new spelling and they kept it with the older one. Yet, you will still find the same spelling in Flemish family names, but it matters less...

If you know how to pronounce Dutch, you can quickly learn the following changes occurring in the spelling and you'll know how to pronounce the names of the city in French... oh wait, take a French accent of course(!):
- ae = aa /a:/ (a long "ah")
- au = ou /ɑu/ (normally English "ow" but French speakers say "oh")
- uy = ui /œi/ (more or less "uh-ee")
- ue = uu /y:/ (long French "u")
- ey = ei /ɛi/ (English "ay")
- y or ÿ = ij /ɛi/ (normally also English "ay" but French speakers say "ee")
- gh = g /x/ (normally like the Scottish pronunciation of ch in "loch" but French speakers say "g")
- sch = sch /sx/ (in French, just say "sk") or s /s/ (in word final)
 - c, ck = k or kk /k/


So, now you can read French versions of city names in Brussels, but also in the whole of Belgium:
Coxyde (Koksijde), Welkenraedt (Welkenraad), Crainhem (Kraainem), Knocke (Knokke), Blanckenberghe (Blankenberge), Auderghem (Oudergem), Schaerbeek (Schaarbeek)...

Unfortunately, it is not always that easy to understand that a city name means another one, especially if you compare what you see on your map or GPS and what you read on the signs! For some reason, you can find city names that are super different from their translation in French or Dutch. In some places, Flemish independentists have sprayed paint on street signs to hide the French names and only have Dutch names displayed...

Here is a selection of the biggest dissimilarities between French and Dutch names of the same city: Mons - Bergen*, Braine-l'Alleud - Eigenbrakel, Braine-le-Comte - s'-Gravenbrakel, Soignies - Zinnik, Tournai - Doornik, Ixelles - Elsene, Amblève - Amel, Tirlemont - Tienen, Fourons - Voeren, Anvers - Antwerpen, Termonde - Dendermonde, Courtrai - Kortrijk, Namur - Namen, Bouillon - Boolen... Feeling dizzy, huh?

* The meaning of the city name in both languages is in fact "mountains"

As you probably know it, Belgium also has a German-speaking community, so that there are also cities with names in German. Fortunately, the German name is usually super similar to the Dutch one (add umlauts here and there and you get them). That way, some Belgian cities have distinct translations in the three national languages: Bruxelles - Brüssel - Brussel, Liège - Lüttich - Luik, Arlon - Arel - Aarlen, Louvain - Löwen - Leuven, Malines - Mecheln - Mecheln...

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8 quirky places to visit in Belgium

Belgium is not just about Manneken Pis, the sculpture of a tiny boy having a pee in Brussels. There is so much more to see in this country, like the city of Bruges, which was described in the previous article. Here is a list of ancient or modern, quirky and amazing places in Belgium, including ones not all Belgians have ever heard of...

Bluebells forest - Halle, Flemish Brabant

The forest Hallerbos is probably one of the most mysterious ones in appearance. It is covered with a natural purple carpet made of bluebells, giving it a magical look. If you want to have a walk in Hallerbos and watch this incredible scenery, you should wait for spring, when the bluebells flower for only a few weeks...

Museum aan de stroom - Antwerp

This huge (60m!) modernly shaped building was designed by Neutelings Riedijk Architects along the river Scheldt. It is the largest museum in Antwerp and hosts a series of exhibitions. On the rooftop, you can look over the whole city like a giant!

Villers Abbey - Walloon Brabant

In the quiet city of Villers, you can find the ruins of an ancient Cistercian abbey, founded in 1146 and abandoned in 1796. Its colossal foundations are now covered with climbing plants, which gives it a green, legendary aspect.

Liège-Guillemins station - Liège

Nine years of intense work were necessary to build this monumental station, which amazes all rail users making a stopover in Liège since its inauguration in 2009. Created by famous contemporary architect Santiago Calatrava, this 160m-long steel and glass arch perfectly captures the light and looks like it was made by someone from outer space.

Castle of Freÿr - Namur province

Belgium is the country with the most castle per km². One example is the one in Freÿr, built on the left bank of the river Meuse. Surrounded by woods, it is a major heritage site of the country, luxurious on the inside and full of ponds, fountains and mazes in its big garden.

Ypres trenches - West Flanders

The Ypres Salient zone is famous in Belgium for being a historical site where important battles occurred in 1914-15 during the First World War. At the time, soldiers used long cavities in the ground called trenches to hide when the enemy was close to their troops. Nowadays the trenches still exist and can be visited in Ypres itself, but also not far from it, in a wood called Bayernwald in German, because it used to host Bavarian soldiers.

Dinant - Namur province

Built in front of the Meuse river, the city of Dinant is famous for its legendary rock, on which a citadel was built in the 11th century. Surrounded by a natural area, the place also has a nice gothic church and is full of history.

Grotto of Saint Anthony of Padua - Crupet, Namur province

Situated in the peaceful village of Crupet is a quirky religious construction called the grotto of Saint Anthony of Padua.The artificial cave was inaugurated in 1903 and hosts 22 coloured statues, created to tell the story of the saint, with tales of devil and angel fights.


If you have any other suggestion, feel free to post a comment to this article!

Beer pipeline to supply brewery in Bruges

If you haven't been to Bruges yet, it's a beautiful medieval city that worth being visited at least once. Resembling a Northern Venice with canals replacing streets, it has been classified as UNESCO World's Heritage and is probably one of the most visited cities in Belgium... perfect for a romantic trip with your lover! Recently, a brewery found a solution to problem of lorries transiting through the old town with an original idea.

Bruges's beautiful canals

Famous for its beer Brugse Zot, one of his most emblematic breweries of Bruges, De Halve Maan ("the Half Moon") announced its intention for 2015 to install a pipeline in the undergrounds of the city... The first pipeline with beer ever invented!

What it might look like

The pioneer construction will probably cost a lot, but it will be an eco-friendly solution to limitate sound and air pollution in the old city. Every year around 500 lorries transit through Bruges in order to provide breweries with beer. Instead, a 3-kilometer long pipeline will connect the brewery (and maybe others) to a bottling plant outside Bruges, reducing by 85% the number of lorries in the beautiful streets. It will take around 10-15 minutes to get the beer out and the steel tube will be high-quality and safe, guaranteeing no leak. One more reason to get a drink in this splendid town!

Bruges during Christmas time

Flemish Epiphany is a sort of Halloween

In Belgium, Epiphany (called "driekoningen" or "fête des rois") is celebrated on 6th January or at least at the beginning of this month, like a logical conclusion to Christmas time, when three "kings" arrive to the crib where Jesus was born, coming from the East and following a star in the sky. The word "kings" is probably not appropriate to qualify those three men, but they were rather scientists or wise men, who had knowledge of astronomy and said they could predict the future. Their name was Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar and they brought expensive gifts for Jesus, whom they considered to be their new king: gold, incense and myrrh (a sort of ointment).

In the whole country, people on that day eat a pie called "koningentaart" or "galette des rois", which is usually made of almonds and has a figurine or a black bean inside of it. The tradition is that the one who gets the figurine or black bean in their piece of pie becomes the king (or queen) for the day. It is mostly feast for children, so parents usually try to make their child get it, so that they're happy for the day. As a reward, one can get a paper crown and can elect a queen or a king, giving them the other paper crown.

Until this week I didn't know that Flanders actually had a distinctive tradition for children on the day of Epiphany, which it shares with other Germanic-language regions but not with Wallonia. Children are dressed as "kings", often carrying a lantern or a star, and, in groups of three (like the three kings), they go from house to house, a bit like for Halloween, and ask for candy or "cents". But instead of simply saying "trick or treat", they have to sing songs specially invented for the occasion, like this one:

"Driekoningen, driekoningen
Geef mij een nieuwe hoed
Mijn oude is versleten
Mijn moeder mag het niet weten
Mijn vader heeft het geld
Op de rooster geteld."

"Three kings, three kings

Give me a new hat.

My old one has been worn out,

My mother can't now about it

My father has counted
The money on the grid."

Are fries uniting Belgians?

"Avoir la frite" is a French expression meaning "being happy" but literally "getting the fry"! It could be a nice way to sum up Belgian philosophy. Although the dish is known for making people fat, Belgians are in general proud to consider it a national dish and it is probably one of the binding forces of the country (seriously!)...

Last year, all linguistic communities agreed to request making Belgian fries a UNESCO World Heritage and a "Week of the Fries" was specially organised for the occasion. It would give such a simple meal more prestige, as genuine gourmets and chefs also love it in more sophisticated dishes. One theory states that fries were invented by a fisherman in Namur who, after an unfruitful fishing day, decided to fry pieces of potatoes instead of fish. A brilliant idea!

Are fries a binding force for the country? Probably and Belgium needs it... The new Government, more right-wing and represented by only a minority of Francophones and by more Flemish nationalists, has been criticised a lot these days. Almost every week, strikes have paralysed the whole country, resulting in controversies on the way trade unionists prevented people from going to work, which divided Belgium even more.

On December 22 during a talk to explain his new policies, Charles Michel (MR liberal), the current Prime Minister (succeeding socialist Elio di Rupo), received Belgian fries and mayonnaise all over his face and suit. Four women, left-wing protestors who had registered for the talk as students of the local university, organised this sort of burlesque bashing to tell the PM to resign and "get rid of austerity".

Although obviously unhappy about this event, Charles Michel decided to take it with humour and sent a (pretty artistic) signed picture of himself during the event to the Fries Museum in Brussels (because, yes, there is a Fries Museum!). Although it won't stop the political problems in Belgium, this is the typical example of how Belgians try to make people "get the fry" through self-mockery and... fries of course!

A musical comedy from both sides of the linguistic border

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!