The Belgian French Community Holiday (french: link=no, Fête de la Communauté française) is a holiday on 27 September, held only in the
French Community of Belgium
In Belgium, the French Community (french: Communauté française; ) refers to one of the three constituent constitutional linguistic communities. Since 2011, the French Community has used the name Wallonia-Brussels Federation (french: Fédà ...
. It is also variously translated as Day of the French Community, French Community Day, Feast Day of the French Community
,
Festival of the French Community
or other variants.
This date was chosen by the French Community of Belgium after an important episode in the
Belgian Revolution.
Origin of the date.
The Belgian Revolution from the
United Kingdom of the Netherlands
The United Kingdom of the Netherlands ( nl, Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; french: Royaume uni des Pays-Bas) is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed between 1815 and 1839. The United Netherlands was cr ...
erupted on the night of 25 August 1830, following a performance of
Daniel Auber
Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (; 29 January 178212 May 1871) was a French composer and director of the Paris Conservatoire.
Born into an artistic family, Auber was at first an amateur composer before he took up writing operas professionally when ...
's sentimental and patriotic opera ''
La Muette de Portici
''La muette de Portici'' (''The Mute Girl of Portici'', or ''The Dumb Girl of Portici''), also called ''Masaniello'' () in some versions, is an opera in five acts by Daniel Auber, with a libretto by Germain Delavigne, revised by Eugène Scr ...
'', a tale suited to fire
National Romanticism, for it was set against
Masaniello's uprising against the Spanish masters of Naples in the 17th century. The play caused a riot, and the crowd poured into the streets after the performance, shouting patriotic slogans, and swiftly took possession of government buildings.
The affable and moderate
Crown Prince William, who represented the monarchy in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, was convinced by the Estates-General on 1 September that the administrative separation of north and south was the only viable solution to the crisis. His father rejected the terms of accommodation that he proposed.
King
William I
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...
attempted to restore the establishment order by force, but the royal army under
Prince Frederik was unable to retake
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
in bloody street fighting on 23 to 26 September. A provisional government was declared in Brussels on 26 September, and during the night of the 26–27 the Dutch troops retreated.
, a
Walloon politician active in the 1960s and 1970s, proposed Walloons celebrate on 27 September in commemoration of the victory. On 24 June 1975, the date was chosen by the French Community as French Community Day, and it was first celebrated that same year.
Modern celebrations
All schools are closed for the holiday, though many business remain open. The festival is celebrated with many free concerts featuring
francophone acts. These take place throughout the French Community, in cities such as
Mons,
Namur,
Huy
Huy ( or ; nl, Hoei, ; wa, Hu) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. Huy lies along the river Meuse, at the mouth of the small river Hoyoux. It is in the ''sillon industriel'', the former industrial ...
,
Liège,
Charleroi and Brussels.
[ Theatrical performances and sporting events also take place in some areas.
The Flemish Community has a parallel holiday called the Flemish Community Holiday, held on 11 July. It commemorates the Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302.][
]
See also
* History of Belgium
*Public holidays in Belgium
In Belgium, there are ten official public holidays. Other particular days are also celebrated, but these are not official public holidays and employers are not obliged to give their employees a day off. However, some employers do award a day's h ...
References
{{reflist
French Community of Belgium
Society of Belgium
Public holidays in Belgium
September observances