The Carnival of Binche (3-5 February)
Binche Carnival tradition is one of the most ancient and representative of Wallonia. Its famous “Gille” has been fascinating people all over the world. The reputation of this Carnival is due to the original and authentic character of Binche traditions: it has always been held on the traditional days, and the preparation within the families and the carnival societies involved have not changed for centuries (the preparation begins before winter).
The first public festivities start six weeks before the carnival with the drum rehearsals. Then, each Sunday there are the precarnivalesque performances: first, the soumonces (dark blue clothing and caps) with the drums, followed by soumonces with a band, growing to a crescendo to reach its climax during the Carnival.
The Carnival Cycle
These pre-carnivalesque performances are as important in Binche as the religous feast held on Shrove Tuesday. For the six weeks preceding Shrovetide (period of celebration), the drums of the different societies are busy rehearsing. Their committee, as well as the future Gilles, audition the drums necessary to the festivities.
Every Sunday during this period, they have their soumonces, first with drums only then with a band. For the soumonces with drums, the members are wearing clogs and a belt with bells, known as l’apertintaille. For the soumonces with a band, a brass band joins the drums and the members wear part of their previous costume, generally the costume used on the previous year’s Quinquagesima (Sunday before Lent). The 26 traditional tunes are played all over the town.
From 2100 hours onwards the Trouilles de nouille (Monday preceding the Quinquagesima”, the beaux masques wanders through the town alone or in groups. They go from pub to pub trying to find a victim to interrogate. All the inhabitants of Binche play the game. They try to identify the teaser and have him keep quiet when it comes to embarrassing matters by offering him a drink.
Shrovetide
On Quinquagesima, the future Gilles, paysans (peasants), pierrots (clowns), and arlequins (harlequins) of Shrove Tuesday are wearing a fantasy costume secretly created months in advance by each participant. In the morning at 0800 hours, the drums go from house to house and fetch the participants. Then the small groups collected by the drums meet in the heart of Binche. It is this moment the inhabitants look forward to as they discover the marvellous and original costumes of Dimanche. Hurdy-gurdies and music, along with the drums, get them dancing. In the afternoon at about 1500 hours, people gather in procession by the train station. The societies return to the centre of Binche dancing to the music of the drums and the brass bands forming a living multi-coloured ribbon.
On Shrove Monday, the feast is traditionally a more private gathering of the locals. To the beat of the music and the hurdy-gurdies, they go from pub to pub, and from pub to friends’ houses, ready to take the music and dancing onto the streets.
At about 1500 hours, the youth gather and dance to the music of the drums and the brass bands offer oranges as they march to the Grand Place. In front of the town hall they dance the rondeau de l’amitié. Then they leave to enjoy fire works at about 2000 hours by the Binche train station.
Mardi Gras is Gilles Day
In Binche, the Gille is allowed to wear his costume on Mardi Gras only. Tradition also forbids Gilles’ societies to make a performance outside Binche. Carnival has its strict rules.
In the very early hours of Shrove Tuesday, the Gille’s day starts with his dressing (l’habillage). This family ceremony is only attended by initiates and a few invited close relatives. Later comes the tamboureur (drum), fetching his first Gille at home. Along with friends and relatives, they go from house to house to collect the other members of their society. This is called the ramassage. At about 0700 hours, all the societies slowly start walking to gather in the centre of Binche to the tune of the drums. They go to the Town Hall wearing their traditional wax mask. There, the jubilee of the Gille members is celebrated. In the afternoon during the procession, the Gille wears his impressive hat covered with ostrich feathers and offers the public hundreds of oranges. Other characters dance at his side: the paysans (peasants), the pierrots (clowns) and the arlequins (harlequins). But to be honest, the whole city is dancing to the bewitching tune of the drums.
The Carnival of Malmedy: The Cwarmê (2-5 February)
In Malmedy, the Cwarmê is an extended Shrovetide (period of celebration) starting on Quinquagesima’s Eve (the Sunday before Lent) and ending on Mardi Gras at midnight. The festivities of this carnival are prepared during the Crâs Djudis (the four Thursdays preceding Quinquagesima). On those Thursdays at nightfall, men and women (especially women) go through Malmedy in fancy dressand wearing masks, entering pubs to tease their victims. Nowadays, on the first Crâs Djudi, a procession of disguised children go through the streets, and on the fourth Crâs Djudi in the afternoon there is a large crowd of children at the traditional fancy dress ball.
The Four Cwarmê Days
The Cwarmê officially starts on Quinquagesima’s Eve. The Trouv’lê (a character dressed in red, holding a corn shovel) is empowered by the local authorities to preside over the festivities. In the past, this privilege was given to the Capitaine de la jeunesse (captain of the youth). Shortly after this ceremony, the Trouv’lê enters the city to the tune of the Marche du Trouv’lê, a procession-like march putting the locals in the mood. He is preceded by a red-faced, pot-bellied rural policeman ringing the bell of Malmedy’s former bell ringer; he represents the Grosse policeman (the big policeman) wearing a cocked hat with Malmedy’s tricolours. Two Djoupsènes (Egyptian-Tzigane women) walk with the Trouv’lê. They are dressed in white cloth and thieves’ masks, representing the thieves who used to enter and rob houses.
Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday
In the second half of the 19th century, people in poor and dirty disguises went through the streets on Shrove Sunday morning. They made quite a lot of noise using saucepans and all kinds of other objects. It was called Massis tours (dirty tricks). Since 1889, this masquerade has been forbidden and replaced by more suitable maskers chosen in local music societies. Since then, a large procession parades in their fancy dress. All the masks of the Carnival are seen on this occasion. After the parade, the maskers start teasing the audience, this is known as the bânes-corantes.
Shrove Monday
In Malmedy, Shrove Monday is known as the jour des rôies (days of the parts). Since the last quarter of the 19th century, the local societies have performed traveling theatre plays on Malmedy’s main square, mainly carnival revues in dialect called rôles. These rôles are satirical verse plays written in dialect with songs relating all kinds of funny local events of the year.
Mardi Gras (Shrove Tuesday)
The Carnival goes on gathering the traditional societies. Royale Malmédienne choir members are dressed in Ardennais and Ardennaises dress (inhabitants of the Ardennes) and the Royale Union Wallonne choir members perform noce 1900 au village (1900’s village wedding party). Until 1891, the Carnival ended on Ash Wednesday with the brûlage de l’os (burning of the bone) which was forbidden by the church in 1892. In 1954, the inhabitants launched the brûlage de la Haguète (burning of the Haguète), gathering all the societies and all the people of Malmedy. This means the Cwarmé is finished. This huge fire symbolizes the end of the festivities, as well as the end of the winter.
Traditional Masks
The Haguète is the most famous representative character of the Cwarmé. He is easily recognised by his cocked hat with ostrich feathers and his nice velvet costume with the Holy Roman Empire double-headed eagle on his back and his hood. However, in the 19th century, his costume was less remarkable and his hat was decorated with cock feathers. The Haguète holds an happe (hooked chair) to catch his victims’ ankles and have them kneel to ask pardon for the sake of their soul saying in local dialect: Pardon Haguète, à l’cawe du ramon, dju nu l’frès jamès pus! (Sorry Haguète, I will not do this anymore). The Vèheû or polecat, is an ancient custom that originated with the youth of certain villages in the Ardennes. They would go out ‘hunting’ with a Vèheû, collecting money with a man in a polecat disguise. Until recently, the Vèheû du Cwarmè also collected food. Nowadays, this character holds a whip with an inflated pork bladder on the end, to tease the audience. The Sotê wear large opera hats that make them look like dwarfs who are said to live in the neighbouring caves according to local legends. Other maskers are also teasing the audience. The Hârlikin (harlequins), inspired by the Commedia dell’Arte, joined the Cwarmè in 1850. They used to go two by two and start fighting together with their small wooden swords or performing acrobatics. Nowadays, they only tickle the faces of people with the fox tail attached to their cocked hat. The pierrots (clowns) offer oranges (it used to be gingerbread and nuts). The Cwapî or Cordonniers (shoemakers) traditionally have red hair, and wear a long blue twill apron in which to hold their tools. They ask women permission to take their measurements in order to make them new shoes, boots, and often thigh boots making a lot of ironic comments in dialect. The Boldjî or Boulangers (bakers) are potbellied characters with a costume covered with britzèls (pretzels). They hold a round wooden shovel to guess the weight of their victim’s backside as if putting bread in their oven. The Sâvadje (the man) wears a skin-coloured satin costume with a swan and bracelets. He holds a golden bow and arrow, and represents a 19th century Native American. The Sâvade-Cayèt is an African . His tunic is made of cayets d’bwas (small wooden pieces).