It was early on a cold February morning. Only a halflight at this time of day. The threat of rain hung in the air as I joined a trickle of people making their way through quiet streets. In side streets groups of people gathered, the occasional shouted remark or outburst of laughter echoed between buildings. Further on, the unmistakable jangle of bells, the rat-a-tat-tat of snare drums and the clatter of wooden clogs on cobblestones rang out in the morning stillness.
More people joined the flow towards the centre. You could almost sense the expectation and excitement in the air. Then, around a corner, a burst of music, masks and mayhem … or Carnival in Binche as it’s known. For a world renowned, UNESCO-listed cultural event, it seemed low key, but the day was still young and Binche would transform over the next few hours as thousands of people crammed into its centre.
Carnival has deep roots in Belgium and its merging of pagan, folk and Catholic traditions are celebrated in truly weird and wonderful ways across the country. As it is in many other European countries. Binche hosts one of the most famous, not to say strangest, of all Belgian Carnivals, and while preparations last for months the festival is a three day test of endurance that also involves implausible levels of alcohol consumption.
In fact, so debauched is the Carnival it is claimed that the English word ‘binge’ is derived from Binche. The origins of Binche’s Carnival are similarly murky, but it may date to 1549 and a parade held for Holy Roman Emperor Charles V by his sister Mary of Hungary, who lived here. Charles was King of Spain and its colonies in Latin America. It’s said Binche’s Carnival costumes are influenced by the Inca Empire.
Whatever its origins, on Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras the undisputed stars of the whole event make their appearance. The Gilles are identically dressed in masks, white bonnet and straw-padded suits covered in symbols and bells. Wherever they go in the town they are accompanied by drummers beating a path through the crowds. Gilles are part of a society or brotherhood, who perform a ritualised routine marching through the streets.
The wooden clogs only allow the Gilles to move in a certain way. While there’s a degree of chaos to it all, the steady, rhythmic, repetitive movements of a brotherhood of Gilles is a little unsettling. Combined with the unnerving blank-eyed stare of their identical masks, the whole thing verges on the sinister. Luckily, the Gilles are the good guys, each carrying a bundle of sticks that they shake to ward off evil spirits.
Multiple groups of Gilles make their way around the streets of Binche, stopping at several bars en route. Eventually they converge on the Grand Place and form a wide circle. As their band plays, they move clockwise around in a circle and then head into the town hall. It’s quite bonkers. This goes on all morning but the streets empty out when they go to eat in the early afternoon.
The Gilles reemerge transformed, the masks replaced by an ostentatious ‘ostrich’ feather headdress and they carry a wicker basket filled with oranges. Other characters, including Pierrots and Harlequins played by children, join them. They also have oranges. The oranges are tossed to onlookers and are symbolic of earthly blessings, or something. The person who told me this had clearly been drinking. Possibly for days.
Whatever the oranges represent they were hugely popular with the now sizeable crowd. Even adults jostled for position to get one. Although that may also be a result of hours of daytime drinking. The party atmosphere consumed the town by this point, but there is a bit of an edge to it. I saw one fight almost break out and I’m sure the dozens of police have their work cut out as the festivities stretch into the evening.
This reminded me of fiestas we went to when we lived in Bolivia. There were similarities with other Latin American countries as well, including Peru and Chile. This shared history, tied together through the colonisation of the Americas, is told in the excellent International Museum of Carnival and Mask in Binche. It’s worth a visit regardless of whether you’re in town for Carnival or just to visit this pleasant place.
That’s a good one
Completely mad, but lots of fun