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Carnival of Aalst
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Carnival of Aalst
The Carnival of Aalst (Dutch: Aalst Carnaval, Brabantian: Oilsjt Carnaval) is an annual three-day event in Aalst, East Flanders, Belgium. The carnival is celebrated in the days preceding Ash Wednesday. It is mainly a street happening; the celebrants dance on the town squares and visit café after café.
The carnival was recognised as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010, but was removed in 2019 amid controversy over the use of antisemitic stereotypes in the carnival parade, in addition to previous controversies. It was the first time anything was removed from UNESCO's Intangible Heritage of Humanity list.
The Carnival of Aalst has its origin in the Middle Ages. Cavalcades were held since 1851, yet without organisation by the city council. Only the events starting from 1923 are counted as official editions, as that was when Aalst city council began to organise the parade.
In 2010, the Carnival of Aalst was recognised as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. In December 2019, the mayor of Aalst, Christoph D'Haese (N-VA), applied to UNESCO to have his city's carnival removed from the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, pre-empting its expected removal for ongoing use of antisemitic stereotypes. On 13 December 2019, UNESCO withdrew its recognition of Aalst Carnival as part of the cultural heritage of humanity.
The carnival starts on Sunday and ends on Shrove Tuesday. On the Saturday evening before the start of the carnival, in the De Werf cultural centre, a humorous city council session takes place, in which Prince Carnival receives the city key and local politicians are mocked. The session is held in the local dialect (Oilsjters) and is done by experienced carnival members rather than the actual city council.
On Sunday the great carnival parade crosses the streets, a spectacle involving tens of thousands of visitors every year. Over 100 floats are included, and since 1970 the carnival groups are only from Aalst itself. Apart from these large groups smaller 'loose groups' participate; they lay their focus more on mockery and satire than the decorative aspect. These 'small' groups can number as many as 200.
The Monday parade has a different atmosphere than the Sunday one; the floats don't follow the strict Sunday order of appearance. In the evening, prizes are awarded based on points given by judges on Sunday. In addition, a yearly Broom Dance by the Gilles of Aalst takes place, followed by the "onion throw". Prince Carnival and party committee members throw onion-sized candies from the balcony of the city hall; some of them include numbers matching prizes and one special prize: a golden onion, uniquely designed for that year's carnival. In the evening, just as on Monday, many town squares are the centre of celebration.
On Tuesday the Voil Jeanetten stoet (Aalst dialect for "Parade of the Dirty Sissies") goes through the streets. In this parade, men walk around in women's clothes and props such as a bird cage, a herring, fake breasts, corsets, a fur coat, a worn out umbrella and a stroller. This tradition originates from the history of Aalst, when the lower class was too poor to buy or make a beautiful carnival costume. Instead, the men put on the old and worn clothes of their wives. In the evening, a traditional effigy burning takes place to end the carnival event. To extend the time until the burning of the giant puppet, the participants whistle and shout aloud, but once the puppet catches fire the carnival comes to its emotional end with a third evening of celebrations.
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Carnival of Aalst
The Carnival of Aalst (Dutch: Aalst Carnaval, Brabantian: Oilsjt Carnaval) is an annual three-day event in Aalst, East Flanders, Belgium. The carnival is celebrated in the days preceding Ash Wednesday. It is mainly a street happening; the celebrants dance on the town squares and visit café after café.
The carnival was recognised as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010, but was removed in 2019 amid controversy over the use of antisemitic stereotypes in the carnival parade, in addition to previous controversies. It was the first time anything was removed from UNESCO's Intangible Heritage of Humanity list.
The Carnival of Aalst has its origin in the Middle Ages. Cavalcades were held since 1851, yet without organisation by the city council. Only the events starting from 1923 are counted as official editions, as that was when Aalst city council began to organise the parade.
In 2010, the Carnival of Aalst was recognised as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. In December 2019, the mayor of Aalst, Christoph D'Haese (N-VA), applied to UNESCO to have his city's carnival removed from the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, pre-empting its expected removal for ongoing use of antisemitic stereotypes. On 13 December 2019, UNESCO withdrew its recognition of Aalst Carnival as part of the cultural heritage of humanity.
The carnival starts on Sunday and ends on Shrove Tuesday. On the Saturday evening before the start of the carnival, in the De Werf cultural centre, a humorous city council session takes place, in which Prince Carnival receives the city key and local politicians are mocked. The session is held in the local dialect (Oilsjters) and is done by experienced carnival members rather than the actual city council.
On Sunday the great carnival parade crosses the streets, a spectacle involving tens of thousands of visitors every year. Over 100 floats are included, and since 1970 the carnival groups are only from Aalst itself. Apart from these large groups smaller 'loose groups' participate; they lay their focus more on mockery and satire than the decorative aspect. These 'small' groups can number as many as 200.
The Monday parade has a different atmosphere than the Sunday one; the floats don't follow the strict Sunday order of appearance. In the evening, prizes are awarded based on points given by judges on Sunday. In addition, a yearly Broom Dance by the Gilles of Aalst takes place, followed by the "onion throw". Prince Carnival and party committee members throw onion-sized candies from the balcony of the city hall; some of them include numbers matching prizes and one special prize: a golden onion, uniquely designed for that year's carnival. In the evening, just as on Monday, many town squares are the centre of celebration.
On Tuesday the Voil Jeanetten stoet (Aalst dialect for "Parade of the Dirty Sissies") goes through the streets. In this parade, men walk around in women's clothes and props such as a bird cage, a herring, fake breasts, corsets, a fur coat, a worn out umbrella and a stroller. This tradition originates from the history of Aalst, when the lower class was too poor to buy or make a beautiful carnival costume. Instead, the men put on the old and worn clothes of their wives. In the evening, a traditional effigy burning takes place to end the carnival event. To extend the time until the burning of the giant puppet, the participants whistle and shout aloud, but once the puppet catches fire the carnival comes to its emotional end with a third evening of celebrations.
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