The Ducasse de Mons or Doudou is a popular festival that happens every year on Trinity Sunday (57 days after Easter, the first Sunday after Pentecost) in the town of Mons, Belgium. It is recognized as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity (a list maintained by UNESCO that honors pieces of intangible culture) since November 2005.
The Doudou originates in the Middle Ages. In 1349, because the city of Mons was suffering under the plague, the authorities decided to organize a procession with the shrine of Waltrude (her remains that is - a relic). The shrine was brought to Casteau (little village right next to Mons). At the same time, the shrine of Vincent Madelgarus (husband of Waltrude) that is based in Soignies (also near Mons) was also taken to the same place. A miracle happened and the plague disappeared after this Procession. In 1352, the date was fixed on Trinity Sunday. After 1380, the fraternity of Saint George has appeared in the procession. The reconstitution of the combat between Saint George and a Dragon took his place in the fest. Because of the "less religious" origin, the combat was excluded from the procession in the 19th century. The separation between the religious parts of the fest and the non-religious began at this time.
The procession did not take place during the French revolution, in 1803 and during the two world wars. [This picture shows the construction of the pit for the Battle of St. George and the Dragon. The trucks dumped the sand and a crew of guys with shovels came out and started spreading it around. As the circle was coming together, men, in various states of inebriation, began ripping their shirts off (and the shirts of their friends) and jumped into the ring and began wrestling. Although there was a couple of inches of sand, cobblestones were still the foundation and these guys were throwing each other down on it. Ouch.]
On the morning of Trinity Sunday, the shrine is placed on the Car d’or, which is a gilded dray (pictured in the Mons post from several months ago), and the procession begins. The car d’or is pulled through the streets by draft horses. The dray is accompanied by several guilds that represent the history of the region. At the end of the trail, the car d’or has to climb a steep, cobblestoned street named Rampe Sainte-Waudru. To help the horses with the immense weight, hundreds of people push the dray. Legend says that if the dray doesn't climb the street, the city will have great misfortune. This happened in 1803, due to the French Revolution, and in 1914 and 1940, due to the First and Second World Wars.
The battle is played out on the Trinity Sunday between 12.30 pm and 1.00 pm (about an hour after the parade ends). It represents the fight between Saint George (the good) and the dragon (the evil). The fight is called Lumeçon. This name comes from the old French name Limaçon (old French name meaning a spectacle with horses that made circulars movements.) The combat happens on the central square of Mons. The length of the dragon is about 10 meters. The end of his tail is covered with horses' hairs (mane). The dragon is displaced with the help of the white men (fr:Hommes blancs). Saint George is protected by the Chinchins who represent dogs. The dragon is helped by the devils (fr: Les diables). Each devil is armed with a cow bladder full of air (the balloon in the past before plastic had been developed). With this weapon, they knock the Chinchins and the public that are placed all around the arena. The dragon fights Saint George by giving Tail attacks. The dragon gives also tail attacks in the public.
So, the public is also an important participant in the fight. People try to take the mane of the tail because it gives luck for one year long. Finally, there are also the Leaf men (fr:Hommes de feuilles) that are covered with real leaves of ivy. They help the dragon by defending and supporting his tail. (This means, practically, that they beat the crowd to get the tail back from the thousands striving to get horse hair from the end. Again, ouch.) The combat is a high precision choreography (relatively speaking). Saint George on his horse turns clockwise. And the dragon turns in the other direction. (This is a reference between the good against the evil). Saint George tries to kill the dragon with his lance but the lance always broke on the contact of the dragon's skin. Saint George uses a pistol and finally kills the dragon on the third try. It is 1 p.m., the participants leave the square, people rush in the arena to find the last lucky manes which have fallen on the ground. And the carillon of Mons rings. (That horse was unflappable. I was really impressed at how beautiful he was and how well he handled the absolute chaos of activity, people, noise and then the crowds around him after George wins.)
The day was a little drizzly, but as you can see, that didn't impact the attendance. If you will notice, there is what looks like a grayish mist above those immediately along the ropes holding back the hoards from the ring. This is a sweat cloud - no, I am not kidding. The day was coolish, but the amount of people crushed into that space was small, and hence the perspiration and resulting cloud. We were glad to be up above, away from the madness. We witnessed body surfing (people voluntarily and involuntarily being heaved up top and moved back - it was predominantly male individuals up at the front of the ropes), as well as an almost hypnotic swaying of the crowd. Someone wouldn't have been able to fall down if they tried - which is good because they may have been trampled if they did. The people immediately behind the rope needed to be strong because of the pressure coming from behind them, and the unyielding steel-cored rope in front.
As you can see, we had a FANTASTIC position from which to enjoy the show. We arrived early and stayed until mid-afternoon. Naturally, around 2ish, the sun came out and it was gorgeous - after the parades and dragon-fight were over.
And like that, it was over. This is a picture of people searching through the sand for the horse-hair (and letting their kids play in it). We found it a bit unpalatable given all the activity that had just happened there - I swear I saw the horse St. George was riding relieve himself in that. Not pretty. Clearly, we were not as committed to obtaining the "good luck" hair as the others.
As the pictures show, the crowds were tremendous. And this was just one day (granted the most important day) of a week long festival. We had come down on Friday and Saturday nights and the best description is the feeling of sardines squished in a can. And since most people were drinking (both from glass containers and plastic ones) the streets were a wreck. I was impressed, having come back Saturday and Sunday mornings, at how well the city had cleaned up. This pile of cups was just the one closest to our location - there were a variety of others around. And, with that quantity of people and only one portable urinal (like the one we introduced you to from our first Amsterdam trip) I wouldn't go into the rivers of liquid flowing in the streets. (I feared looking in just about any direction on our walks home given that I didn't want to witness such activities.)
Overall, a really fun and memorable experience. I am soooooo grateful that we were able to see it from the comfort of Tim's apartment. What a show.
2 comments:
That all sounds kinda crazy! I am glad you watched it from above. I just can't imagine being in that crowd. But, I would have enjoyed watching it from the apartment.
Sounds really interesting. How fortunate you were to be in Tim's apartment. I'm still grossed out by the sweat fog....
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