The Ducasse d'Ath is a traditional folk festival held in Ath, Hainaut, Belgium, to mark the victory of

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

over

Goliath Goliath ( ) was a Philistines, Philistine giant in the Book of Samuel. Descriptions of Goliath's giant, immense stature vary among biblical sources, with texts describing him as either or tall. According to the text, Goliath issued a challen ...

. The parade is held annually on the fourth Sunday of August and is characterised by the presence of processional giants depicting the horse Bayard and several other 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—such traditions, rituals, dance, and knowledge—and ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

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 Boyd ...

, 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. It is a procession or ''ducasse'' with act of "

circumambulation Circumambulation (from Latin ''circum'' around and ''ambulātus ''to walk) is the act of moving around a sacred object or idol. Circumambulation of temples or deity images is an integral part of Hindu and Buddhist devotional practice (known in ...

" around a religious symbol (e.g. a statue of the city's

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

), in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

or , which can be found in many religions and beliefs. 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 is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

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

illiterate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

population. In 2008, the Ducasse d'Ath was recognised as 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—such traditions, rituals, dance, and knowledge—and ...

, as part of the bi-national inscription '

Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France The processional giants and dragons () of Belgium and France are a set of folkloric manifestations involving processional giants, which have been inscribed by UNESCO on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists, 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 the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...

, wearing a nose ring and chains.

Gallery

File:Goliath et Mme 2006.jpg, The giants Mr and Mrs Goliath File:Ath ducasse 2004 Ambiorix.jpg, The giant Ambiorix File:Dimanche2007 St Christophe.jpg, Saint Christopher of

Flobecq Flobecq (; ; ) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, province of Hainaut, Belgium. It borders to the municipalities of Ellezelles (to the west) and Lessines (to the east) in the same province an ...

File:Ath Ducasse2007 barque.jpg, The ''Barque des pêcheurs napolitains'' File:Ath ducasse 2004 groupe du canon.jpg, The ''Canon du Mont Sarah''

References

Footnotes

Citations

Bibliography

* * {{cite book, last=Goblet d'Alviella, first=Eugène, title=Circumambulation in: Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics, volume=3, location=Edinburgh, publisher=T. & T. Clark, year=1908, url=http://books2.scholarsportal.info/viewdoc.html?id=121134 Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Belgian folklore Belgian legends Medieval legends Summer in Belgium Parades in Belgium