Ommegang

Like so many folkloric traditions, Ommegang, meaning “to walk around” in old Flemish, has religious roots. The legend goes back to 1348, when a widower is said to have witnessed an appearance of the Virgin Mary, who told her to transfer a statue from Antwerp to the Sablon Church in Brussels. The woman received help from different Brussels orders (notably the Crossbowmen of the Sablon Church) to carry out this task of miraculous airs. The statue was venerated by place walking around the Sablon Church; this event laid the framework for the current day Ommegang festivities. Over the years, the event gradually lost its spiritual dimension transforming into an event intended to show the richness of the Brussels bourgeois and nobles of the Middle Ages.

What is more is that in 1549, when Charles Quint, the “Father of Europe,” made his famous entry in Brussels with his son Philippe II, the celebration took an especially important turn… one that has found an indispensable spot in Brussels tradition for the past 85 years.

The procession

The cultural and historical spirit of Ommegang is marked by the procession. On July 1, the procession will start at the Park Royal at 8:40 pm, pass by the Sablon, Place Saint-Jean, and the Bourse, and end on the Grand Place. Fourteen hundred actors dressed in traditional costumes will march to medieval music in perfect medieval character! The carriage carrying the Charles Quint actor will leave the Place Royal at 8:15 pm to eventually join the rest of the cortege in the Sablon.

Show on the Grand Place

The same sort of spirit that welcomed Charles Quint some five centuries ago will be on the Grand Place July 5-7 from 9 pm to 11 pm. Visit the Ommegang site to reserve your seats to see the story of Ommegang unfold in a show full of light animations and music!  

Festivities in the Royal Park and more

You can enjoy Ommegang festivities all over the capital. In the Parc Royal for example, you will have the new culinary feature: les Magiciens du Terroir where you can try all sorts of gourmet local dishes from July 5th to July 7th. Still in the park, you can immerse in the medieval village for an Ommegang beer tasting, knight fights, and demonstrations of different medieval trades…  

And still there is more. Medieval markets open to the public will take place on the Place Agora and behind the Bourse all three days from midday to 9 pm.

Photo copyright: Agence Pep's.