The processional giants and dragons (french: Géants et dragons processionnels) of Belgium and France are a set of folkloric manifestations involving

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, which have been inscribed by

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 ...

on the lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008, originally proclaimed in November 2005. Through these festivals and their giants, this concerns the set of gigantic manifestations specific to each country. In the case of Belgium, these are the festivities of

Dendermonde Dendermonde (; french: Termonde, ) is a city in the Flemish province of East Flanders in Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Dendermonde and the towns of Appels, Baasrode, Grembergen, Mespelare, Oudegem, Schoonaarde, and Sint-Gillis-b ...

( Ommegang van Dendermonde),

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

(Ommegang van Mechelen),

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...

(the

Ducasse de Mons The Ducasse de Mons, also commonly known as Doudou, is a popular festival that happens every year on Trinity Sunday (57 days after Easter) in the town of Mons in Belgium. The feast comprises two important parts: the procession, including the ...

, and the fight which is named the "Lumeçon"),

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, ...

(the

Ducasse d'Ath The Ducasse d'Ath is a traditional parade held to mark the victory of David over Goliath that takes place in the town of Ath in Belgium. The parade is held on the fourth Sunday of August every year and is characterised by the presence of pro ...

) and

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 ...

(the

Meyboom The Meyboom plantation (or Meiboom in Dutch, "May tree" – a bastardisation of the Dutch ''tree of joy'') is the oldest tradition in Brussels, Belgium, attested since 1308. It is held every year on 9 August, the eve of St Lawrence's Day, and ...

). For France, these are the feasts at

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, D ...

(feasts of

Gayant Gayant the Gigantes y cabezudos, giant is an iconic processional puppet of Douai. Each year for three days at the beginning of July, the Gayant festival takes place. The Gayant family, composed of the giant's wife Marie Cagenon, and their thre ...

) and

Cassel Cassel may refer to: People * Cassel (surname) Places ;France * Cassel, Nord, a town and commune in northern France ** Battle of Cassel (1071) ** Battle of Cassel (1328) ** Battle of Cassel (1677) ;Germany * Cassel, Germany, a city in Hesse re ...

(carnival) and the totemic animals and their celebrations in

Tarascon Tarascon (; ), sometimes referred to as Tarascon-sur-Rhône, is a commune situated at the extreme west of the Bouches-du-Rhône department of France in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Inhabitants are referred to as Tarasconnais or Taras ...

and

Pézenas Pézenas (; Languedocien: ''Pesenàs'') is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Name The name "Pézenas" is derived from the older name ''Piscenae'', probably from the Latin word ''piscenis'', meanin ...

(Mardi Gras, inauguration of the Mirondela dels Arts on the first Sunday in July). This proclamation allows for a valorisation of these popular festivals and their protection.

Background

The

is a gigantic costumed figure that represents a fictitious or real being. Inherited from medieval rites, tradition has it that it is carried, and that it dances in the streets during processions or festivals. Its physiognomy and size are variable, and its name-giving varies according to the regions; among the Flemings, it is known by the name of ''reuze'', among the Picards it is called ''gayant''. 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.

Belgium

Belgium has nearly 1500 giants on its soil. Their appearance dates back to the 15th century;

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 ...

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 Monst ...

, which is mentioned as early as 1457, is the oldest known Belgian giant. Belgium also has the largest giant in Europe; Jean Turpin of Nieuwpoort, which exceeds . The Belgian cultural heritage includes the following events: *

(withdrawn in 2022) *

* Meyboom of Brussels * Ommegang van Dendermonde * Ommegang van Mechelen File:Ath ducasse 2004 Ambiorix.jpg, The giant Ambiorix at the

, Belgium File:Géants de Tournai pendant la Grande Procession (DSCF9101).jpg, Giants of

Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...

, Belgium File:GeantsMeyboom2.jpg, Giants of the

of Brussels File:Walloon Giants Belgian Day Wisconsin.jpg, Giants of

Belgian American Belgian Americans are Americans who can trace their ancestry to people from Belgium who immigrated to the United States. While the first natives of the then-Southern Netherlands arrived in America in the 17th century, the majority of Belgian immi ...

community in Brussels, Wisconsin

France

The giant is one of the symbols of the

Nord-Pas-de-Calais Nord-Pas-de-Calais (); pcd, Nord-Pas-Calés); is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Hauts-de-France. It consisted of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais. Nord-Pas-de-Cala ...

region. It is the object of ancestral cultural practices that are still kept alive. Present at regional festivals and events, he represents the northern community. The region currently has more than 450 giants, spread over the whole territory. There are nevertheless more dynamic intra-regional zones, located around central points. The Flemish part of the region is a land of giants; each city has one or more of them. Examples include Reuze Papa and Reuze Maman of

, Tisje Tasje of

Hazebrouck Hazebrouck (, nl, Hazebroek, , vls, Oazebroeke) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France. It was a small market town in Flanders until it became an important railway junction in the 1860s. West Flemish was the usual language until 1 ...

, Jean de Bûcheron and La Belle Hélène in

Steenvoorde Steenvoorde () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Once part of the Seventeen Provinces of the Low Countries, Steenvoorde was the site of the beginning of the Beeldenstorm, or " Iconoclastic Fury." Today the city is known for ...

, and Totor of Steenwerck. In the South, in the

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...

region, there is the

colt, and in the

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

, the

tarasque The Tarasque is a fearsome legendary dragon-like mythological hybrid from Provence, in southern France, tamed in stories about Saint Martha, such as the one told in Jacobus de Voragine's '' Golden Legend'' (13th century). The tarasque was des ...

(Bouches-du-Rhône). *

: Reuze Papa and Reuze Maman *

, Marie Cagenon, Fillon, Jacquot, Binbin *

: le Poulain *

: la

Tarasque The Tarasque is a fearsome legendary dragon-like mythological hybrid from Provence, in southern France, tamed in stories about Saint Martha, such as the one told in Jacobus de Voragine's '' Golden Legend'' (13th century). The tarasque was des ...

File:Reuze Papa Cassel.jpg, Reuze Papa of

, France File:Gayant.jpg, Giants couple;

and Marie Cagenon,

, France File:Tarasque in Tarascon 02.jpg,

Fibreglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...

, France

References

Notes

External links

Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France
at the

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 ...

website
L'effigie et la rue (historical article about the giants in northern France)

The federation of the giants of northern France
{{DEFAULTSORT:Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Belgian culture Belgian folklore French culture French folklore Parades in Belgium Parades in France

Background

Belgium

France

References

Notes

See also

External links