The Ducasse d'Ath is a traditional parade held to mark the victory of

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

over

Goliath Goliath ( ) ''Goləyāṯ''; ar, جُليات ''Ǧulyāt'' (Christian term) or (Quranic term). is a character in the Book of Samuel, described as a Philistine giant In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''gigas'', cognate giga-) a ...

that takes place in the town of

Ath Ath (; nl, Aat, ; pcd, Ât; wa, Ate) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Arbre, Ath, Bouvignies, Ghislenghien, Gibecq, Houtaing, ...

in Belgium. The parade is held on the fourth Sunday of August every year and is characterised by the presence of

processional giant Processional giants, french: géants processionnels, es, gigantes y cabezudos, va, gegants i cabuts, ca, gegants i capgrossos, eu, erraldoi eta buruhandiak are costumed figures in European folklore, particularly present in Belgian, Fren ...

s depicting many characters from local history. From 2008 to 2022, it was 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 ...

History

The city of Ath was founded in 1140 by

Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut Baldwin IV (1108 – 8 November 1171) was count of Hainaut from 1120 to his death. Baldwin IV was the son of Count Baldwin III of Hainaut and Yolande de Wassenberg.Gislebertus (of Mons), ''Chronicle of Hainaut'', transl. Laura Napran, (The Boydell ...

, by buying territory from his liegeman, Gilles de Trazegnies. The city experienced considerable expansion in the 14th century, with a church dedicated to Saint Julian of Brioude coming up outside the enclosure of the walled city. The procession used to begin at the church and proceed to the new town. The fourth Sunday of August was chosen as it fell near the feast day of Saint Julien, which is on 28 August. The large

biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

figures in the procession also served the purpose of catechising a largely

illiterate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...

population. In 2008, the Ducasse d'Ath was recognised as a

, as part of the bi-national inscription "

Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France The processional giants and dragons (french: Géants et dragons processionnels) of Belgium and France are a set of folkloric manifestations involving processional giants, which have been inscribed by UNESCO on the lists of Intangible Cultural ...

". It was delisted in December 2022 following complaints about one of the characters that appears in the procession: a 'savage', depicted by a white person in

blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...

, wearing a nose ring and chains.

References

Notes

{{reflist Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Belgian folklore Festivals in Belgium Belgian culture Belgian legends Medieval legends Summer events in Belgium Parades in Belgium