Belgian festivals

A key theme of the museum since it opened in 1975, the collection dedicated to Belgian festivals brings together numerous costumes, masks, accessories, iconographic documents and written archives.

These authentic pieces reflect the richness and diversity of Belgium's popular traditions. Bonfires, marches, ducasses, processions and carnivals are all important events that punctuate community life. Whether they are the legacy of medieval pagan or religious rites or more recent creations, these festivities have evolved according to the historical, social and geographical contexts in which they take place.

In addition, each municipality has developed its own characteristics and differences.

Whether ancestral or contemporary, masked festivities play an essential role in the social cohesion and collective identity of the populations that perpetuate them.

The Knaptand (Teeth Chatterer) is a wolf-like creature that appears during the two major festivities in the town of Dendermonde, the Katuit and the Ros Beiaardommegang. 

During these two events, the Knaptanden frighten spectators by chattering their teeth with their movable jaws. However, they often behave more gently towards children, who can even stroke them.

The Royal Moncrabeau Society is a philanthropic society that has existed since 1843. Its members come out on several occasions to collect money for the disadvantaged.

They also form a mirliton orchestra, composed mainly of mirliton players. Every year, to open the Wallonia Festival, they also organise lying contests, verbal jousts in which the Molons have to invent stories. Their motto is ‘pleasure and charity’, which is expressed through their various activities.

The Noirauds are members of a philanthropic society founded in 1876. That year, several membersof the bourgeoisie took the initiative of collecting donations during the Brussels Carnival to help thechildren of a crèche in difficulty. Since then, the Noirauds have gone out at various events to raisemoney for children in need.

Originally called the ‘Conservatoire Africain’, the association has been known since 1959 as the‘Œuvre Royale des Berceaux Princesse Paola’, following the patronage of the reigning princess.

During their collections, the Noirauds wear unusual outfits and use various accessories, such as agigantic spoon or collection boxes in the shape of a black baby, to appeal to passers-by. Thebourgeois who originated this tradition also decided to paint their faces black in order to maintaintheir anonymity.

However, in the context of Western colonial expansion in Africa, the face painting and the costumealso recall racist caricatures from the XIXth century.

Their appearance, especially the make-up, was at the heart of a major controversy in 2015. Facedwith this situation, the Noirauds association decided in 2019 to replace the face painting of theircharacter by make-up or a mask in the colours of Belgium, allowing them to keep their anonymityand meet certain expectations expressed by the public.