Magnum Photosのインスタグラム(magnumphotos) - 2月21日 16時51分

BELGIUM, Binche (Hainaut). 17/02/2015: Young 'Gille de Binche' accompanied by his drummer at the end of the morning parade on Mardi Gras. Traces of the carnival celebrations in Binche, a former industrial region of Belgium, can be traced back to the 14th century. It is part of the continent-wide pagan-related rites celebrating the end of winter. The festival was recognised by UNESCO as an ‘Oral and Immaterial Patrimony of Humanity’ in 2003. But to the inhabitants of the small city of Binche it is much more than that: the three days of Mardi Gras celebrations and also the rituals in the preceding weeks of actual Mardi Gras are the expression of an intense sense of belonging to a community, creating very strong social bonds. The main character around which the festival evolves is the ‘Gille de Binche’. Probably created around the end of the 18th century the Gille, organised in various brotherhoods, obey very strict rules during carnival: they can only dress up as a Gille, with the ostrich feather hat, the straw-stuffed costume, the bundle of twigs to ward off evil winter spirits (which is also thrown to relatives or friends in the public as a greeting), and the wooden clogs during the day of Mardi Gras, they should at all times be accompanied by a drum, should never be seen sitting in public. The hardest requisite in a context of free flowing alcohol during the carnival days is probably not being seen drunk. Being a Gille is an honour but comes at a price, and many members go through severe financial sacrifice to pay for the rent of the costume (300€ for the ostrich hat), buy the oranges which will be thrown to the public as a sign of good luck (throwing them back to the Gille is a grave offence) and the bottles of champagne and other alcoholic beverages consumed during the festive days. The post on my weblog also has some sound: http://johnvink.com/news/2015/02/binche-carnival-with-sound/ This story is also visible on the Magnum Photo weblog. @vinkjohn

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