The Gilles are the oldest and principal participants in the

Carnival of Binche The Carnival of Binche (french: Carnaval de Binche) is an annual event in the Belgian town of Binche during the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday.Spencer, p.16 The carnival is the best known of several that take place in Wall ...

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 ...

. They go out 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 s ...

from 4 am until late hours and dance to traditional songs. Other cities, such as

La Louvière La Louvière (; wa, El Lovire) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Boussoit, Haine-Saint-Paul, Haine-Saint-Pierre, Houdeng-Aimeries, Hou ...

and

Nivelles Nivelles (; nl, Nijvel, ; wa, Nivele; vls, Neyvel) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. The Nivelles municipality includes the former municipalities of Baulers, Bornival, Thines, and Monstre ...

, have a tradition of Gilles at carnival, but the Carnival of Binche is by far the most famous. In 2003, the Carnival of Binche was proclaimed one of the

Masterpieces 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 t ...

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

Costume

Around 1000 Gilles, all male, some as young as three years old, wear the traditional costume of the Gille on Shrove Tuesday. The outfit features a linen suit with red, yellow, and black heraldic designs (the colours of the

Belgian flag The national flag of Belgium ( nl, vlag van België, french: drapeau de la Belgique, german: Flagge Belgiens) is a tricolour consisting of three equal vertical bands displaying the national colours of Belgium: black, yellow, and red. The colours ...

), trimmed with large white-lace cuffs and collars. The suit is stuffed with straw, giving the Gille a hunched back. Gilles also wear wooden clogs and have bells attached to their belts. In the morning, they wear a wax mask of a particular design. After reaching the town hall, they remove these masks for the afternoon. During the afternoon parade, Gilles throw

blood orange The blood orange is a variety of orange ( ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'') (also referred to as raspberry orange) with crimson, almost blood-colored flesh. The distinctive dark flesh color is due to the presence of anthocyanins, a family of polyp ...

s to the crowd or at its members, and some wear large, white, feathered hats. Gilles carry ''ramons'', tied bunches of twigs that are said to ward off evil spirits, and baskets in which to carry the oranges. File:0 Binche - Les Gilles le jour du mardi gras (1).JPG, The Gilles wearing their hat with ostrich feathers on

File:0 Les Gilles d'Havré (1).JPG, The Gilles, clad in their costumes and plumed hats File:Binche_Statue_Gille.JPG, ''Gille de Binche'' (1952) by

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

*
Official site of Binche
*

*
International Carnival & Mask Museum in Binche
* {{in lang, fr}
Traditional tambourines
Carnivals Belgian folklore Carnivals in Belgium Walloon culture Binche La Louvière Spring (season) events in Belgium