Tonight - in fact, in less than an hour - is the highlight of the week of fair in Dendermonde. Tonight is KATUIT. Literally it means 'cat out' but you have to interpret it as a night on which anything is possible.
Following centuries old folklore it is a tradition that on the last Thursday of August, the three Giants of the town - Mars, Goliath and Indian - will make their procession throughout the town center and concluded with a majectic appearance on the Great Market.
The Giants are quite high, quite heavy and ... they are carried by one man only! It takes a strong guy to carry this weight, and also be able to walk through and navigate through the narrow streets in the center and then also be able to make the giant dance. And this you can take literally. The Giants do dance, and sometimes rather wildly. You see their skirt whirling around.
To give you an idea, here's a link to You Tube, and you can watch a film there about the Giants on the Market. It's a mediëval town, so the market place is round. It's impossible to get there if not hours in advance. The Dendermondenaars (inhabitants of Dendermonde) go crazy when they see their Giants dance.
Here's the link, and hopefully you once come to see it for real !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpFtvIKHCCY
Hello everyone! I'm a writer of historical fiction next to being a pensioned teacher. I like to share my views on life and actuality, along with bringing you interviews with bestselling authors and guest blogs.
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