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Heritage Stories

Heritage Stories

A scene from the 2017 Virga Jesse Festival - Virga Jesse Committee - kerknet.be

Virga Jesse Festival in Hasselt

In Hasselt, a procession has been held every seven years during the month of August since 1682. The procession is in honor of Virga Jesse, as Mary is known there. During the Virga Jesse festivities, the people of Hasselt carry a 14th-century oak statue of the Virgin Mary through the decorated streets. It is one of the

Scarification on the back of a woman from Mayumbe in western Congo, 1908 - © Collection of the Royal Museum of African Art (KMMA), Tervuren

Congolese tattoo art and Belgian Art Nouveau

Not every tattoo is made of ink. Various ethnic groups in the Congo used a unique form of body decoration: scarification. By creating scars, decorative shapes were formed on the skin, often in complex geometric patterns. During the era of the Independent State of Congo and later in Belgian Congo, the practice was extensively studied, documented, and

Cross-border workers in Menen on their way to France, 1930 - © Amsab-ISG, Ghent - Photo: Waro Agency

Frenchmen and Walloons

Sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side. In the first century following Belgium’s founding in 1830, many Flemish people sought their fortune elsewhere. As many as 200,000 emigrated to North America. Many more left their homes in search of work, and found it in

The spikes of runner Kim Gevaert - © Sportimonium, Hofstade-Zemst - erfgoedplus.be

Kim Gevaert's spikes

European champion in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, a gold medal with the relay team at the 2008 Olympic Games, and no fewer than 27 Belgian championship titles: sprinter Kim Gevaert has built up an impressive list of achievements. The fact that she was able to build such a career was less straightforward than it seems. Sports

The start of the Tour of Flanders in 1928 - KOERS. Cycling Museum, Roeselare

The Old Kwaremont

On the first weekend of April, crowds line the Oude Kwaremont. The cobblestone climb in Kluisbergen is a major crowd-puller for one of the most important cycling races of the year: the Tour of Flanders. It has only been part of the course since 1974. But in recent years, it has

The gold helmet of Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet - © KOERS. Cycling Museum, Roeselare

Greg Van Avermaet's Golden Helmet

Anyone who watched cycling on TV between 2016 and 2020 often saw a rider wearing a striking gold helmet in the peloton. The rider wearing that unique helmet was the Flemish cyclist Greg Van Avermaet. He had earned it through an exceptional performance. At the 2016 Olympic Games in

A "Voil Jeanet" from Aalst - © Wikimedia Commons

Aalst Carnival

In Aalst, you’ll find the annual highlight of the Flemish carnival. People parade through the streets in costume. Everyone eats and drinks to their heart’s content—alcohol for the adults and candy for the children. An ordinary man is crowned prince. With the help of masks