The Carnival of Binche (french: Carnaval de Binche) is an annual event in the Belgian town of

Binche Binche (; wa, Bince; Dutch: ''Bing'') is a city and municipality from Wallonia, in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Since 1977, the municipality consists of Binche, Bray, Buvrinnes, Épinois, Leval-Trahegnies, Péronnes-lez-Binche, Ressaix, ...

during the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday.Spencer, p.16 The carnival is the best known of several that take place in

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, at the same time. Its history dates back to approximately the 14th century,Dunford, p.296 and since 2003, it is recognised as a

Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of UNESCO starting in 2001 to raise awareness of intangible cultural heritage and encourage local communities to protect them and th ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

.Logan p.223 Binche JPG01

History

The first written records of the Carnival of Binche date back to 1394, the festivities then corresponding to the beginning of

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

(the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

).Dunford, p.296 Wearing a mask was forbidden under the

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

ic regime, so the

Gilles The Gilles are the oldest and principal participants in the Carnival of Binche in Belgium. They go out on Shrove Tuesday from 4 am until late hours and dance to traditional songs. Other cities, such as La Louvière and Nivelles, have a traditio ...

, some of the carnival's most important participants today, appeared for the first time in texts in 1795 as masked characters revolting. In 2003, the Carnival of Binche was recognised as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by

.Logan p.223

Celebrations

Events related to the carnival begin up to seven weeks prior to the primary celebrations. Street performances and public displays traditionally occur on the Sundays approaching Ash Wednesday, consisting of prescribed musical acts, dancing, and

marching Marching refers to the organized, uniformed, steady walking forward in either rhythmic or route-step time; and, typically, it refers to overland movements on foot of military troops and units under field orders. Marching is often performed t ...

. Large numbers of Binche's inhabitants spend the Sunday directly prior to Ash Wednesday in costume.

Gilles

The centrepiece of the carnival's proceedings are clown-like performers known as

. Appearing, for the most part, on

Shrove Tuesday Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent), observed in many Christian countries through participating in confession and absolution, the ritual burning of the previous year's Holy Week palms, finalizing one's Lenten ...

(or Mardi Gras), the Gilles are characterised by their vibrant dress, wax masks and wooden footwear. They number up to 1,000 at any given time, range in age from 3 to 60 years old, and are customarily male. The honour of being a Gille at the carnival is something that is aspired to by local men. From dawn on the morning of the carnival's final day, Gilles appear in the centre of Binche, to dance to the sound of drums and ward off evil spirits with sticks. Later during the day, they don large hats adorned with

ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds of the genus ''Struthio'' in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, and kiwis. There ...

feathers, which can cost more than $300

US dollar The United States dollar ( symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the officia ...

s to rent, and march through the town with baskets of oranges. These oranges are thrown to, and sometimes at, members of the crowd gathered to view the procession.As Logan (2007) and Pateman (2006) note, the tradition of throwing oranges at members of the crowd is done in good spirit and not out of aggression, and to be hit was traditionally considered something to be proud of. The vigour and longevity of the orange-throwing event has in past caused damage to property – some residents choose to seal windows to prevent this.Pateman, p.116 The oranges are considered good luck because they are a gift from the Gilles and it is an insult to throw them back. File:0 Binche - Les Gilles le jour du mardi gras (1).JPG, The

wearing their hat with ostrich feathers on

File:Le Carnaval de Binche dans la rue de Robiano à Binche.jpg, The Gilles putting on their masks to reach the main square File:Carnaval de Binche - Binche Carnaval in Belgium.jpg, A young Gille carrying a basket and orange

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

BrusselsLife: Binche Carnival

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carnival Of Binche Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Belgian folklore

Festivals in Belgium Walloon culture Tourist attractions in Hainaut (province) Binche Spring (season) events in Belgium