Belgium and Luxembourg (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

34 INTRODUCING BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG

AUTUMN

September can be pleasantly

warm, but with a hint of chill

in the air. As the crisp days

become shorter, restaurants

serve warming game dishes.

SEPTEMBER

Grand Prix of Belgium (1st

Sun), Spa-Francorchamps.

Formula One racing returned

to this popular circuit in 2007

after a gap of four years.

Grande Procession (2nd

Sun), Tournai. A costumed

procession, first held in 1092

after the passing of a plague,

accompanies St Eleutherius’s

reliquary and other church

treasures through the city.

Journées du Patrimoine/Open

Monumentendagen (2nd or

3rd week), nationwide. The

annual Heritage Days are a

rare chance to explore many

private historic buildings.

Fêtes de Wallonie (3rd

weekend), Namur. Wallonia’s

role in the 1830 revolution

(see pp44–5) is celebrated

with events such as a battle

of échasseurs (stilt-walkers)

in 17th-century costumes.

OCTOBER

Flanders Film Festival

(variable), Ghent. This

12-day international festival

is respected for its range of

films and focus on film music.

Rainfall chart

On the whole,

Belgium and

Luxembourg are

rather rainy

countries, with

fairly constant low

rainfall throughout

the year. Spring is

the driest season,

but summers can

be damp. In winter,

the rain may turn

into snow and sleet.

Cars battling for advantage at the Belgian Grand Prix

The traditional Christmas market

held in Brussels’s Grand Place

AVERAGE MONTHLY RAINFALL

MM

300

240

180

120

60

0

FebJan Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Inches

12

9

6

3

0

WINTER

The Christmas markets that

start in early December bring

a glow of good cheer, but

carnival parades, the most

exuberant public celebrations,

are the real showpieces.

NOVEMBER

Toussaint/Allerheiligendag

(1 Nov), nationwide. All

Saints’ Day, or the Day of the

Dead, is when family graves

are decorated with flowers.

Kaarskensprocessie (Sun after

1 Nov), Scherpenheuvel. A

solemn candlelit procession

is the culminating point of

the pilgrimage season at the

renowned Marian shrine in

Scherpenheuvel (see p162).

St Verhaegen Day (20 Nov),

Brussels. Students celebrate

“Saint” Pierre-Théodore

Verhaegen – founder of

the original city university –

with madcap antics, often

on public transport.

DECEMBER

Feast of St Nicholas (6 Dec),

nationwide. The 4th-century

Bishop of Myra, St Nicholas,

parades with Zwarte Peter,

or Père Fouettard, who

threatens to whip naughty

children. It is a day of gift-

giving and eating speculoos,

traditional spiced biscuits.

JANUARY

Driekoningendag/Fête des

Rois (6 Jan), nationwide.

Epiphany celebrates the visit

of the Three Kings to Christ’s

nativity. The recipient of a

trinket baked into an almond

cake gets a paper crown.