The Festivals of Wallonia, a much-anticipated celebration in the region with a 600-year history, are coming to Namur, Belgium, on Saturday 11 September. The most folkloric customs of the area are revived every year, sodiscover the Walloon Festival on stilts until the 20th of this month.
The festivity is closely connected to the roots of the area, and they commemorate their origins. Their most significant feature of them are the fights they do on stilts. This tradition is something that dates back to 1411 when the mélans and the aversses lived together in the town being Echasseurs, stilt warriors. The former, who lived in the old part of the city, are represented by yellow and black, the latter, who lived in the suburbs, by red and white. The aim of the fight is to get the golden stilt, the last one standing while the opponents fall to the ground. Over the centuries, this festival has become increasingly popular, and people from other regions have taken part in it. Discover the Wallonia Festival on stilts.
The participants fight on their stilts, trying to unbalance the opponent
The climax of the festival is on the third Sunday in September, when the two sides gather in the plaza Saint Aubin to fight. When the fight begins, mélans and aversses fight until one of them is victorious. After this round, warriors of the same team fight each other, and whoever is last on their stilts is the golden winner.
Spectators can enjoy this spectacle, although in this 2021 you need to buy a pass to reserve a seat in the area. Apart from this, throughout the week citizens and visitors will also be able to see the Echasseurs in Namur. They walk around in their traditional red dresses, on stilts and create a festive atmosphere with music. In fact, this year, Belgian rapper Roméo Elvis will be one of the participants in the city’s concert programme.
The festival is accompanied by music, where drums and trumpets play.
History and culture in Belgium
Stilt walkers are present in different popular festivities, and we can find different types of stilt walkers. In Namur, the type of stilts used are two metres high, each participant rests his feet on the platforms and holds on with his hands. This type is much more adaptable for the tournament, during the fight you don’t want to hurt your opponent, you just want him to lose his balance and fall off his stilt. Since 2015, children aged 6 to 11 have also participated in these games, using smaller stilts. And since 2018, women have been training to take part in them.
Belgium is full of cultural and traditional activities that are worth visiting, activities and villages that we have yet to discover, because the world is so big and time is so short. Therefore, we recommend what can be interesting to experience and discover.
Images courtesy of Visit Namur, Simon Fusillier and Margaux Voglet
