Belgium and Luxembourg (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

A PORTRAIT OF BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG 17

High-stepping participants in medieval costume

enlivening the Pageant of the Golden Tree in Bruges

Belgium is divided into two main

linguistic regions. In the north is

Flanders, with 59 per cent of the pop-

ulation. The people, known as the

Flemish, speak Dutch. In the south is

Wallonia, which holds 31 per cent of

the population; people here speak

French. Apart from these, there is a

small German-speaking community in

the border region of the east.

The Dutch-French language divide

has existed more or less since Roman

and Frankish times, in other words

for 1,500 years. In spite of their dif-

ferences, the Flemish and French-

speaking communities have remained

in geographical proximity, bonded by

their religion, Catholicism. This circum-

stance is a result of the religious strife

of the 16th century, when Protestants

moved north to what is today the

Netherlands; the Catholics

stayed back in modern-day

Belgium. Luxembourg is like-

wise predominantly Catholic.

Religion is still a significant

presence: churches are very

much a part of the landscape

and most traditional rites of

passage, including baptisms,

weddings and funerals, are

conducted through the church. Many

of the carnivals, so prevalent in

the calendar of events, are religious

in origin, and some, such as the

Procession of the Penitents at Veurne,

are impressive displays of devotion.

However, religion does not generally

play an overt role, and society

is basically secular.

Across the linguistic divides,

Belgians and Luxembourgers

share similar goals – to achieve

comfortable lifestyles through

education, hard work and

enterprise. Their prosperity is

reflected in international

rankings of the total national

wealth generated per head of popula-

tion (Gross Domestic Product per

capita): Belgium is 16th on the list

while Luxembourg is first. Such

wealth has attracted workers from all

over the world. Many

come from EU countries;

some in Belgium have

links with its colonial

past in Africa, especially

the Congo; others come

from Muslim countries of

the Mediterranean, nota-

bly Turkey and Morocco.

Luxembourg’s immigrants,

mainly from Europe,

account for 37 per cent

of the total population.

Dutch road signage

in Belgium

Outdoor café culture, enjoyed in every town throughout the region