Ducasse de Mons
| Ducasse de Mons | |
|---|---|
 The fight called Lumeçon (the dragon and the white men pictured) | |
| Status | Active |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location(s) | Mons |
| Country | Belgium |
| Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France | |
|---|---|
| Country | Belgium |
| Reference | 00153 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2008 (3rd session) |
| List | Representative |
The Ducasse de Mons, also commonly known as the Doudou, is a popular festival that happens every year on Trinity Sunday (57 days after Easter) in the town of Mons in Belgium.
The feast comprises two important parts: the procession, including the descent and the uprising of the Saint Waltrude's shrine, as well as the combat named Lumeçon between Saint George and a dragon. Since 2008, it is recognised as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.[1]
History
The Ducasse de Mons or Doudou originates in the
A tenacious but erroneous legend connects the Ducasse to the
Through the following decades, what was originally a religious procession took on gradually a more worldly outlook. In 1352, the date was fixed on Trinity Sunday. After 1380, the fraternity of Saint George appeared in the procession, made up of members of the nobility, the city's mayor and aldermen. From 1440, the reconstitution of the combat between Saint George and a dragon took its place in the feast. The separation between the religious parts of the feast and the non religious began at this time. As the procession gradually acquired a more secular character, it became a social event in which all the city's constituents participate.
During the second half of the 16th century, the Ducasse was dependent on political and religious upheavals in the
The tradition continued during the 19th and 20th centuries with more or less success. It was around 1930, under the impetus of Canon Edmond Puissant, that the procession regained its vigour, thanks to the creation of new groups and a renewal of costumes. Between 1973 and the 2000s, the game was reviewed and structured in the sense of diegesis (a style of fictional storytelling) by Georges Raepers, lawyer at the Bar Association of Mons. The celebrations were not held during World War I and World War II, as well as in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium.[7]
Since 2008, the Ducasse de Mons has been recognised as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, as part of the bi-national inscription "Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France".[1]
Planning
The feast begins from the Saturday before Trinity Sunday to the next Sunday. As an eight-day festival with a specific liturgy, it can be called an octave.
The Procession
The descent of the shrine takes place on the Saturday evening. During a religious ceremony, the shrine is taken down from its altar. The priest gives the shrine (kept all year in the Collegiate Church of St. Waudru) to the town authorities for the duration of the festival. Then a procession with torches begins in the streets of the town.
On the morning of Trinity Sunday, the shrine is placed on the Car d'Or ("Golden
At the end of the week, the shrine is returned to its rightful place in the church with great ceremony.
The game of Saint George
This game is played on the Trinity Sunday between 12:30 (p.m.) and 13:00 (1 p.m.). 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 circular movements.)
The combat happens on the Grand-Place of Mons. The length of the dragon is about 10 metres (33 ft). The end of his tail is covered with horses' hairs (
The combat is precisely choreographed. Saint George on his horse turns clockwise, and the dragon turns in the other direction (this is a reference to good versus evil). Saint George tries to kill the dragon with his lance but the lance always breaks on contacting the dragon's skin. Saint George uses a pistol and finally kills the dragon on the third try. At 13:00 (1 p.m.), the participants leave the square, people rush into the arena to find the last lucky manes which have fallen on the ground. And the carillon of Mons rings.
Other information
- A big concert is organised on the Friday evening before Trinity weekend on the Grand-Place of Mons, during which military bands from all over the world play music, and a braderie (street clearance sale) is organised on the Monday after.
- Another combat is organised on the following Sunday. The combat is reserved for children (public and actors). The dragon is lighter than the original.
- The streets of the centre of the town are a Belgian beerand soda.
Gallery
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Procession of the Car d'Or -
Procession of the Car d'Or -
The Car d'Or -
Shrine on the Car d'Or -
The Iron man -
The little dragon for the kids' day -
A fraternity named Beubeux -
Peoples after the combat on the Grand-Place -
Raising of the Car d'Or on the Rampe Sainte-Waudru -
The Car d'Or arrives at the Grand-Place -
Saint George and the Chinchins
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References
Footnotes
- ^ The French word ducasse refers to a procession; the Processional Giants of Ath and Mons are part of each city's ducasse.
Citations
- ^ a b "Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France - intangible heritage - Culture Sector - UNESCO". ich.unesco.org. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
- ^ Fr. De Vriendt, Une myriade de processions. Les cortèges religieux à Mons au Moyen Âge et à l'Époque Moderne, and Du rite sacré au cortège civique. Nouvelles données sur les origines et l'histoire de la Procession (in French), in La Ducasse rituelle de Mons, Brussels, 2013, p. 71–76 and p. 77–89
- ^ JP Ducastelle, Mons et le combat du Lumeçon dans Géants et dragons (in French), collective work, Casterman, 1996, p. 110 and seq.
- ^ Goblet d'Alviella 1908, p. 667–669.
- ^ Bowker 1999, p. 224.
- ^ E. Hubert, L'Edit de Joseph II sur les kermesses 11 février 1786 (in French), in Université de Liège, Ouverture des cours le 18 octobre 1921, Liège, 1921, p. 5–34.
- ^ "« Covid-19 » Le Doudou n'aura pas lieu le 7 juin — Ville de Mons". www.mons.be (in French). Retrieved 26 June 2022.
Bibliography
- Bowker, John (1999). The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-866242-4.
- Goblet d'Alviella, Eugène (1908). Circumambulation in: Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics. Vol. 3. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark.
External links
- (in French) Official website
- (in French) Official website of the city of Mons about Ducasse