Dendermonde celebrated Katuit 2018

Like every other year, on the last Thursday of August, the town of Dendermonde is the center of folklore. At 8 pm - because the spectacle looks better when dusk sets - the streets in the town's center crowd with spectators who want to see the giants dance.

Katuit is an old tradition, dating back to the times of the guilds. Remember, Dendermonde was a medieval town with town charter and surrounded by walls, just like Bruges or Ghent. Each guild had a patron saint, and to honor these saints processions were held. The giants were created to represent the guilds: Indian (reminds of the discovery of the Americas) for the long bow archers, Mars for the armed forces with firearms and Goliath for the guild of cross-bow archers.

As tradition demands, the giants (several meters high and heavy) are not put on wheels and driven along, but they are CARRIED. The carriers are men who descend from families who used to work the docks. For each giant, there are three guys who will carry it each at their turn. Underneath the giant is a system which allows to put a harness on the shoulder and thus the giants walk and dance. When the audience is very enthusistic, the giants make an extra effort and even dance wildly. You have to come and see if you don't believe this.

Yesterday evening's spectacle stood in honor of the death of the local painter Franz Courtens, who died 75 years ago. Some of the floats depicted how life was in his time.

But like I said, the finale is always the grand spectacle of the Great Market, where the giants dance for the last time that day and afterwards there's a giant fireworks display.