As a cat lover, are you able to recall to mind the rest extra superior than a parade devoted to cats? If I’ve already piqued your fancy by means of the use of “cat” and “parade” in the similar sentence, you may need to get started making plans a commute to Belgium.
The Kattenstoet (which accurately interprets to “the Cat Parade”) happens in a small the town named Ypres at the French border of Belgium on the second one Sunday of Might each 3 years. Whilst this cherished competition celebrates cats, it’s in accordance with a slightly horrific custom of the townsfolk of Ypres as soon as engaged in yearly.
Learn on to be told extra about this distinctive competition, together with its historical past and what to anticipate in the event you plan to wait sooner or later.
What Occurs All over the Pageant?
The Kattenstoet parade operates just like some other parade—the individuals construct elaborate floats, hand-sew costumes, and placed on performances. It’s now not strange to peer fashionable depictions of cats on this history-focused competition, both. For instance, there’s one specifically widespread waft with a humongous Garfield cat peeking out from a cardboard field.
Whilst lots of the competition is feline-focused, some facets of the parade don’t have anything to do with cats. Attendees would possibly spot knights in chainmail strolling round with spears or other people wearing medieval garb clutching items of cloth. That is simply a part of the tribute to town’s historical past and humble beginnings in material production.
The townspeople of Ypres take part within the competition by means of adorning their retail outlets with cat presentations or baking cat-shaped buns or cookies.
After the parade procession, anyone wearing a jester dress tosses crammed kitties from the belfry to the eagerly expecting townspeople beneath, who hope to catch some of the plushies.
After the jester has run out of cats to toss, a ridicule witch-burning tournament happens, during which the group units a puppet witch aflame.
The competition is a well-liked vacationer tournament in Belgium, bringing in 1000’s of holiday makers and strengthening the native tourism financial system. Tournament organizers anticipated 50,000 spectators to come back from close to and a long way to observe the 2024 parade.
How Did the Parade Come to Be?
Whilst the parade celebrates our adoring courting with our cats, it wasn’t all the time this fashion in Ypres.
All over the Center Ages, town’s number one business was once material making. Fabric makers would use cats to stay their warehouses freed from fabric-destroying vermin. Those cats had been unfastened to roam Ypres as they preferred all the way through the iciness months, but if they began reproducing too briefly, town officers learned they had been in over their heads. Cats had been overrunning town, they usually didn’t know what to do to cope with the unexpected overpopulation. They quickly made up our minds it simplest made sense to do away with them.
As a substitute of transport them off someplace or coping with them humanely, they made up our minds to toss cats from the belfry tower to their deaths. They’d do that yearly all the way through the second one week of Lent on an afternoon they known as “Cat Wednesday.” This custom endured for centuries into the 1800s.
It’s additionally essential to remember the fact that, on the time, cats had been related to witchcraft and evil, so eliminating them was once a lot celebrated, and lots of regarded ahead to the development.
Fortunately, the final time a are living cat was once thrown off the belfry was once in 1819.
Ypres officers made up our minds to reignite the custom in 1937, aside from they selected to toss crammed cats from the belfry as an alternative of actual ones. The function was once to recognize town’s difficult historical past with cats and in addition rejoice them. The custom was once put at the again burner all the way through International Battle II however was once again in complete swing by means of 1946 when the town officers added a parade to the joys.
When Is the Kattenstoet?
The Kattenstoet is in most cases held triennially on the second one Sunday of Might. The newest competition was once in Might of this 12 months, so in the event you’re hoping to ebook a commute to wait the following one, you’ll have to attend till 2027.
Ultimate Ideas
The Kattenstoet parade is one thing for cat fans so as to add to their bucket checklist. Being surrounded by means of 1000’s of different feline-loving people seems like a super afternoon to me.
The competition is a wonderful method for town of Ypres to recognize its difficult historical past with cats whilst additionally spotting how a lot they love and appreciate them lately.
Featured Symbol Credit score: Piqsels