Malmedy Carnival, Belgium

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What is the Malmedy Carnival?

Malmedy Carnival or Cwarmê is a carnival that takes place in the city of Malmedy in Belgium. The celebration lasts for four days and is classified as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The carnivals begin on Friday at midnight and last until Carnival Tuesday at midnight. Carnivals are celebrated in a big way in the city of Malmedy. Here you can find the big parade which is one of the biggest events of the celebrations, you can find the carriages accompanied by the different characters and the bands that cannot be missed.

These celebrations date back to the 15th century, as recorded and have the particularity of having a large number of masks and characters, each one of them tells a different story and fulfills a different function.

We invite you to get to know all the highlights of Malmedy Carnival..

 

 

When is the Malmedy Carnival

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The Malmedy Carnival is celebrated in February, 4 days before Shrove Tuesday. It begins at midnight on Friday and culminates on Shrove Tuesday at the same time. Thus, the Malmedy Carnival will take place from approximately February 13 to 16.

 

 

History of the Malmedy Carnivals

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Malmedy Carnival or Cwarmê as it is also known, has been celebrated for centuries. In fact, it is recorded that the beginning of the carnival took place on June 25, 1459 and is referred toShrove Monday and Shrove Tuesday as “Quarmae”. However, it is later referred to as “Cwarmá”. Carnival has been celebrated since this date and most likely its informal beginnings date back much earlier.

The first ban on the celebration of carnival was announced in 1695, during the reign of the Princes-Abades who believed that the festivities would cause a lack of control and possible anarchy. Several other bans were issued during the 18th century. However, the population of Malmedy ignored this censorship.

During the 20th century, bans were imposed only during World War I and World War II. Athey were also banned or canceled in the year 1962, due to the smallpox epidemic..

Today the tradition is maintained and most of the traditions and characters that started the festivities are still carried out.

 

Where is the Malmedy Carnival

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The Malmedy Carnival takes place in Malmedy, a municipality located in Liege, Belgium. The different events and parades take place different points of the city such as Place de Rome and in the different streets of the municipality.

 

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How the Malmedy Carnival is celebrated

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Characters

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The characters encountered at the carnivals are as follows:

 

Lu Trouv’lê

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It is the character that symbolizes the power during the four days of Cwarmê or carnival. This character arose because in the festivities were carried out by groups of young people and to avoid any kind of uproar. In this way, these characters maintained the order of the festivities.

 

Lu Grosse Police

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He is the character who announces the festivities by means of a hand bell..

 

Lu Djoup’sène

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It is one of the most ancient masks of Cwarmê.Whoever wore the mask used to go out at night in small groups and steal groceries from homes. Due to the disturbances that caused, the use was discontinued, although today they are presented in the carnivals in a commemorative way and under custody.

 

Lu Haguète

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There is no documentation confirming the character’s existence before the 19th century.This character wears a multicolored ostrich hat and possesses a retractable wooden device called “hape-tchâr” with which he grabs participants by the ankle and forces them to ask for forgiveness.

 

Lu Vèheû

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It is one of the oldest characters and dates back to the 17th century. He wears a vest, pants, white stockings, a bell-shaped strap and a Polish hat. Today it is equipped with an instrument where at the end is placed a swollen pig’s bladder to gently beat the crowd.

 

Lu Sotê

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It is a dwarf figure, who was first mentioned in the 18th century. He performed different activities to the villagers in exchange for food. He used to annoy the spectators with his long arms.

 

Lu Sâvadje

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It is the representation of an Afro descendant who wears shiny garments and bracelets. Its function is to kidnap a spectator by the hand and make him run through the procession and then take him back to his starting point.

 

Lu Hârlikin

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The character has been recorded since the 18th century. He represents the Arlequin of the Italian Commedia dell’Arte..

 

Lu Pièrot

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He represents Pierrot from Commedia dell’Arte. He is dressed inwhite suit and black buttons. He hands out oranges and nuts to the participants.

 

Lu Long-Né

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They are a group of personalities who try to bring some disturbance to the carnivals. They move in groups of 6 or 7 according to the records and look for a victim to imitate them. These characters are distinctive, havestriped hat, mask with a long nose, blue shirt, red handkerchiefs and white pants.

 

Lu Longuès-Brèsses

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He is a long-armed character who first emerged in 1883. He represents a clown and wears a small top hat with a feather. The sleeves of his clothing are extremely long and he prowls withwhite hood in various designs. With his long arms he strokes the spectators’ hair or changes hats with them.

 

Lu Long-Ramon

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This character emerged in the year 1920 and is one of the most recent characters. His character represents something similar to Lu Longuès-Brèsses, since he has a large broom of 5 meters decorated with black, green and yellow. With the broom he tousles or removes people’s hats.

 

Lu Boldjî

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He dresses entirely in white and represents a baker. He prowls the streets in search of victims whom he hits in the buttocks with a wooden shovel.

 

 

Lu Cwapî

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He represents the shoemaker and wears red hair, blue apron and uneven shoes. He prowls the streets looking for a woman while holding a stool and shoes. Once he locates his victim, he sits her down, removes her shoes, measures her feet and offers them a pair of new shoes.

Those who fulfill the functions of the characters are the locals themselves, since they are the ones who know the functions of each of the masks of the carnivals.

 

On Friday at midnight the beginning of the carnival is celebrated in different parts of the city. Who performs this action is the Lu Grosse Police, who rings the bell announcing the beginning of the carnival. After this, the reception of the Lu Trouv’lê, to whom the mayor gives the power to manage the celebrations until its culmination. This same day the great parade takes place where the large and colorful carrozas. During the parade the participants begin to unwrap their roles carrying with them the traditional masks, acting according to each of their roles.

The following day, various events are held with the societies Carnival societies of the city. Finally, the last one is a walk with the various carnival societies and the closing ceremony of the carnivals when the figure of Lu Haguète is burned.

 

Tips for going to the Malmedy Carnivals

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If you wish to attend the carnivals,plan your trip in advance, as well as your travel itinerary and accommodations as the Malmedy carnivals are very crowded, which will cause the lodging in the area to be somewhat limited.

 

Events in Malmedy Carnival

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The first day of the carnival takes place on Friday night. At that time, the Lu Grosse Police announces theopening of the carnival with its distinctive bell at different points in the municipality. After this, the reception of Lu Trouv’lê to whom the mayor will give control of the carnivals until Carnival Tuesday is held.

The main parade of the carnivals is held, where all the characters that comprise the festivities enter in their respective roles. The following day a series of events are held where the different societies of the carnival take part and on the last day a tour is held with the societies and the figure of Lu Haguète is burned, ending the carnivals.

 

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Malmedy Carnival Parades

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The parade is the most anticipated moment of the celebrations. The streets of the town are walked alongside the large and colorful floats. Showever, those who steal the show are the different masks and traditional characters of the carnivals. Here, each of the characters, who are represented by the locals, will take the responsibility of fulfilling the roles and characteristics that each of the characters represents. In addition, visitors are the ones who play the role of victims, as many of the characters will play pranks on them or keep them busy throughout the tour.

If you want to know more about tourism in this country, I recommend this guide:.

 

Parade route

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The parade starts at Rue de la Tannerie, passing through Place de Rome, Rue du Commerce, Rue de la Gare, l then Rue Neuve, Rue La Vaulx, Rue Derrière l’Eau and ends at Rue Steinbach.

 

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What to eat at the Malmedy Carnival

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During the Malmedy Carnival celebrations, it is customary to eat Russian salad, this salad contains sandwiches, beets, turnip, onions, potato, apple, egg, beef, pork, oil, pickles in brine and hazelnuts. Another typical food of the area is Les gaufres de jeudi gras, gofres or wafles made of flour, milk, eggs and butter, sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Some local restaurant options include A la truite argentee, Au Petit Chef and L’Esprit Sain.

 

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Travel Insurance

 

From Carnavalesdelmundo.org we recommend to hire a good insurance to visit this carnival and to know the rest of the country. For being our readers we offer a 5% discount on all IATI insurance. Read more information about all insurance offers here:

 

 

What to see and do inside the Malmedy Carnival

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It is almost impossible to get bored during these carnivals, as you can participate in a large number of events, such as the reception of Lu Trouv’lê, who takes control of the city during the carnivals. Also, you can attend the parade where you can see the carriages and each of the masked characters who play different roles. Finally, you can attend the closing ceremony with the burning of Lu Haguète.

If you don’t want to complicate things, here you can book interesting excursions in Spanish in this city:.

 

What to see and do outside the Malmedy Carnivals

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Malmedy offers tourists a number of attractions to visit during their visit, some of these are:

Baugnez 44 Historical Centre

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It is a museum in memory of the Battle of the Bulge and the massacre of Malmedy. The museum has different audiovisual tools that will make you feel like you went back in time.

 

Brasserie de Bellevaux

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It is a brewery where you can taste different beers of their craft brewing. In addition, they also offer tastings and small meals.

 

Malmundarium

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It worked as a monastery in the past, today it is a playful museum where you can learn about the history of the region.

Also if you want to visit museums and important buildings in this city we recommend that you book your ticket in advance through Tiquets: .

 

Safety at the Malmedy Carnival

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The town of Malmedy is a safe and welcoming place with tourists. We recommend you to use common sense and always be aware of your surroundings. Also, it is always a good idea to keep your valuables in a safe place to avoid theft and misplacement. Also, we recommend the following products to keep your valuables safe:

 

 

Carnival weather in Malmedy

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The weather in Malmedy is a bit chilly during carnival time, with the temperature ranging from -1 to 7 degrees Celsius. We recommend you bring a warm coat to celebrate the festivities.

 

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How to get to Malmedy Carnival

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How to get there by plane

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The nearest airport is Liège Airport 71 km away. From there you can use the different means of transport to Malmedy..

We recommend buying airline tickets through Kiwi.com or Skyscanner where they are usually cheaper. More information on this link to review Kiwi.com..

 

How to get there by bus

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From the airport walk for 12 minutes to Grace-Hollogne Mahay, take lines 53 or 85 to Liege Cadran. Transfer and board the train at Liége-Saint-Lambert/Luik-Sint-Lambertus on lines S42, IC, L 243, S41 or P to Veviers-Central. From there transfer again, get on the bus in Vervierts to Malmedy.

 

How to get there by car

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From the airport get on the E42 highway until you reach Malmedy. The route is 46 minutes.

 

Where to stay at Malmedy Carnival

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Booking.com

 

L’Horizon Studios & Apparts

Apartments 3.4 km from the center. It also has free internet, spa and private parking.

 

Hostellerie de la Chapelle

3-star hotel 2.2 km from the center. It also has private parking, restaurants and accepts pets.

 

Albert 1er

2-star hotel 300 meters from the center. It also has a restaurant and free internet.

We recommend using Booking.com to book hotels at a good price, check more information here:.

 

Thank you for reading

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