Hainaut Festivals

In addition to its heavenly Trappist beers, the Botte du Hainaut, the boot-shaped region south of Charleroi, is known for its extravagant annual festivals. Two of the most popular, the Carnaval de Binche and the Ducasse de Mons, draw crowds into the hundreds of thousands. If you happen to be in Belgium during one of the festivals, they're worth a day trip from Brussels.

The Carnaval de Binche is said to have been sparked by a week of festivities held for the visit of Charles V in 1549. Today, the carnival is taken very seriously by the Binchois and there are strict rules of conduct. The festivities begin on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, when hundreds of men turn out in costumes, some as mam'zelles (in belle epoque women's clothing) and many as gilles. Only the most upstanding residents whose families have lived in Binche for generations can be gilles—the signature figures of the Carnaval. They're costumed in identically smooth, mustached masks, green glasses, and large white decorative collars. Two days of music and partying later, at dawn on Mardi Gras, a solitary drummer marches to the home of the head gille to escort him out into the street. They dance to the home of the next gille and so on until there are perhaps 100 men doing a slow, shuffling dance to the ancient tunes of the musicians who, like the gilles, gradually join the procession. They troop down to the hôtel de ville to be welcomed by the burgomaster, and reappear after lunch in enormous ostrich-plumed hats to toss out oranges to the crowds, then gather in the Grand'Place for music and dancing. The day ends with fireworks, but the gilles continue dancing through the night. Traditionally, they drink nothing but champagne.

You can get a taste of the spirit of the Carnaval at the Musée International du Carnaval et du Masque, which has an impressive collection of masks and costumes from all over the world. You can see a video of Binche's own Carnaval—as well as watch people working on the next year's costumes. rue du St-Moustier 10. 064/33-57-41. www.museedumasque.be. €5. Tues.-Fri. 9:30-5, weekends 10:30-5.

Every June, Mons (16 km west of Binche) bursts at the seams with revelers during its annual festival, the Ducasse de Mons. Begun in the 14th century by grateful souls who survived a plague, the Ducasse is so exuberant that the local church officials asked that it not be celebrated during the Easter religious observances. The festival is a hodge-podge of events. It's officially opened with the Descente, which presents the relics of St. Waudru to the burgomaster. The relics are paraded through town on an ornate 18th-century carriage, which is then pushed up a sloping street, a massive effort called the Montée du Car d'Or, to return to the saint's namesake church. Symbolically, Mons is thus reestablished. The Combat de la Lumeçon, an enactment of the story of St. George and the dragon, is the highlight of the festival; it's held on the Grand'Place. The dragon's tail is topped off with a horsehair switch that brings good luck to the reveler who grabs it. But first, you have to get past the dragon's guards. St. George then finishes off the beast. Concerts, carillons, and fireworks keep the city buzzing for several days.