Kattenstoet: The Cat Throwing Festival

For the final lx years , the urban heart of Ypres inwards Kingdom of Belgium has held a pop “Cat Parade” that draws visitors from some the country. Kattenstoet , or the “Festival of the Cats” , is held in 1 lawsuit every 3 years too consist chiefly of parades featuring giant truthful cat effigies , brass bands , marchers too people riding on horseback. Revelers wearing clothing themselves equally cats , witches or mice too march through the town to the cheer of large crowds of people who plough out on the streets. While it’s all gay too merry directly , the origins of Kattenstoet is much darker.

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Photo credit: Rostyslav Kudlak/Flickr

Back inwards medieval days , people were non really form to animals too cats inwards particular. Many westward European cities inwards those times held ritualistic truthful cat tortures where people would assemble dozens of cats inwards a internet or wicker cage too hoist them high into the air over a bonfire. It was idea that cats harbored evils spirits too the Devil himself. So piece the piteous animals howled inwards hurting , the crowd shrieked amongst laughter. After the animals were charred , the crowd collected the embers too ashes of the burn downward too took them abode for practiced luck.

In the urban heart of Ypres likewise cats were used equally victims inwards numerous folkloristic games.

In those days , Ypres , similar many towns inwards the Flemish region share of Kingdom of Belgium , was renowned for its textile industry. Wool was imported from England , too woven into fine garments past times highly skilled craftsmen. Both the wool too the finished production were stored inwards the Cloth Hall , 1 of the largest commercial buildings of the time. But the textile attracted mice , which gnawed at the textile too procreated to unhealthy numbers.

To command the mice population , the textile traders of Ypres brought inwards their natural predator , the cat. But cats procreate likewise too presently in that location were likewise many cats than the urban heart could handle. And hence the truthful cat killing began. This beingness the historic menses when cats were seen equally harbinger of evil , zero pleased the townsfolk to a greater extent than than throwing the fauna off the bell tower of the local church. When line concern went bad , the people made certain that in that location was ever a few extra cats tossed out off the window. With fourth dimension , the killings became a ritual , taking house on ‘Cat’s Wednesday’ , inwards the minute calendar week of Lent.

The barbaric exercise continued until 1817 when the final killing took place. The final truthful cat reportedly survived the autumn too scampered off equally fast equally it could earlier it could live caught again. From too hence on until the First World War , Cats' Midweek was celebrated exactly past times ringing of the church building bells.

In 1938 , a grouping of immature altar boys organized a split upwardly of truthful cat parade. Each was carrying a toy cat. When they reached the church building , they outset had a feast too and hence 1 of the boys climbed upwardly the bell tower too threw downward the truthful cat toys.

The ‘Festival of the Cats’ remained generally a local festival until the 1950s when folkloristic parades became the novel rage all over West Flanders. On the minute Dominicus of Lent inwards 1955 , the outset magnificent parade was organized amongst 1 ,500 extras , all dressed inwards gorgeous costumes. Since too hence , every 3 years the urban heart has been celebrating Cat’s Festival.

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The Cloth Hall is the well-nigh magnificent edifice of Ypres today. It was destroyed during World War I , but was meticulously reconstructed to its prewar condition. Photo credit: Steve Mullarkey/Flickr

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