| Culture Of Belgium |
Article Index for Culture Of |
Website Links For Culture |
Information AboutCulture Of Belgium |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CULTURE OF BELGIUM | |
| belgian culture | |
|
Most Belgians tend to view their culture as an integral part of European Culture ; nevertheless, both main communities tend to make their thousands of individual and collective cultural choices mainly from within their own community, and then, when going beyond, Flemings draw intensively from both the Anglo-Saxon culture (which dominates sciences, professional life and most news media) and French and other Latin cultures, whereas French-speakers focus on cultural life in Paris and elsewhere in the French-speaking world (''la Francité''), and less outside. A truly scientific discussion would also include discussion of the different cultures of Belgian ethnic minorities such as the Jews who have formed a remarkable component of Flemish culture - in particular that of Antwerp for over five hundred years. ART Museums Belgium has a large variety of museums and temporary expositions. Some of the most impressive museums in Belgium are The Royal Museum For Fine Arts , in Antwerpen, which has an admirable collection of works by Peter Paul Rubens , the Groeninge museum in Bruges , with the Flemish Primitives , and The Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels, which has a cinema, a concert hall, and artworks of many periods, including a large René Magritte collection. Furthermore, the Plantin-Moretus museum in Antwerp, a World Heritage site, is the complete factory of the largest publishing house of the sevententh century. Literature Belgian Literature as such does not exist. Flemish share their authors with the Dutch (see Dutch Literature , Flemish Literature ), and French-speakers with the French (see French Literature ), which tend to confuse people on Belgian authors' nationality. Moreover, several great French authors went to Belgium for refuge (e.g. Apollinaire , Baudelaire , Rimbaud ) and conversely, top French-speaking writers often settle in Paris (e.g. Amélie Nothomb ). It is also sometimes difficult to cast Belgian authors into the French or Flemish category because many Flemish authors have written in French and spent a large part of their lifes outside of Flanders or of Belgium (e.g. Emile Verhaeren or Maurice Maeterlinck ). The confusion is also enhanced by the fact that many French-speaking individuals are coming from originally Dutch-speaking families (particularly in Brussels, e.g. Jacques Brel ). Belgium has produced several well-known authors such as poets: ( 1812 - 1883 ), Charles De Coster ( 1827 - 1879 ), Willem Elsschot ( 1882 - 1960 ), Michel De Ghelderode ( 1898 - 1962 ), Georges Simenon 1903 - 1989 , Louis Paul Boon ( 1912 - 1979 ), Hugo Claus (born in 1929 ), Pierre Mertens (born in 1939 ) and, Amélie Nothomb (born in 1967 ). Comics See Also: Belgian comics Belgium has numerous well-known ( Lucky Luke ), Peyo ( The Smurfs ), Franquin ( Spirou , Marsupilami , Gaston ), Edgar P. Jacobs ( Blake And Mortimer ) and Marc Sleen ( Nero ). More recently, Jean Van Hamme ( XIII , Largo Winch , Thorgal , etc.), Raoul Cauvin ( Les Tuniques Bleues , Cédric ), François Schuiten and Benoît Peeters ( Les Cités Obscures ) are among the most read cartoonists. Music See Also: Music of Belgium ). Other popular Belgian pop music comes from Axelle Red , Vaya Con Dios , and K's Choice . Belgium has a very active Jazz scene that is achieving international recognition with bands like Aka Moon , Maak's Spirit and Octurn . Toots Thielemans and Philip Catherine are probably the best known Belgian jazz musicians. Belgium has also influenced electronic music with a.o. Front 242 , Praga Khan (also known as Lords Of Acid ) and 2 Many DJ's , and rock music with DEUS . Amongst the Belgian contemporary classical writers is Wim Mertens probably the best known. Among the best known singers are Jacques Brel , Johnny Hallyday (before he became French ), Arno , and Maurane . Belgian Hip-hop came with the rise of Starflam , CNN (a Brussels-based crew) and 't Hof Van Commerce in the mid 1990s . Architecture There are still many old monuments visible in Belgium like the Romanesque ''Collégiale Saint-Gertrude de Nivelles '' ( 1046 ) and ''Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Tournai '', Gothic Antwerp Cathedral (15th century) and Baroque Brussels Grand' Place . Famous Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta has influenced the early 20th Century architecture in Belgium and abroad. Cinematography Belgium cinema has already been rewarded several times at Cannes Film Festival ( Benoit Poelvoorde , Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne , etc.) and in other less-known festivals. Belgian movies are generally made with small budget. GASTRONOMY Good cooking and fine beers are seen by many as part of Belgian culture. The beer with the most prestige is that of the Trappist Monks . Technically, it is an Ale and traditionally each abbey's beer is served in its own glass (the forms, heights and widths are different). There are only seven breweries (six of them are Belgian) that are allowed to brew Trappist Beer . Although Belgian gastronomy does not really exist (it is connected to French cuisine), some Recipe s were invented there as e.g. French Fries (which were named so by American soldiers during World War I), Speculaas (a sort of cookie), Belgian Waffle s, Waterzooi (a broth made up of chicken or fish and vegetables), Endive prepared in a special way, Brussels Sprout s, Belgium Praline and '' Paling In 't Groen '' ( Eel s in a sauce). SPORT The most popular sport in Belgium is Football (soccer) . The Belgian First Division is one of the older leagues in the world. Belgium used to be on top of world football in the 1970s and 1980s when the Belgium National Football Team (also known as the ''Red Devils'') finished 4th at the 1986 FIFA World Cup , 2nd at the 1980 European Football Championship and 3rd at the 1972 European Football Championship , while Belgian clubs like Anderlecht , Club Brugge , and Standard Liège won several European cup finals. Belgium has also performed well in Cycling ( Eddy Merckx , known as ''The cannibal'' is one of the best cyclists ever, Roger De Vlaeminck , Johan Museeuw and Tom Boonen ) and is the last years almost unbeaten in Cyclo-cross ( Sven Nys , Bart Wellens ), Motocross ( Stefan Everts and Joël Smets ), and female tennis ( Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters ). Other important sports in which Belgians excel are Judo ( Robert Vandewalle , Ingrid Berghmans and Ulla Werbrouck ), Table Tennis ( Jean-Michel Saive ), swimming ( Frederik Deburghgraeve and Brigitte Becue ) and running ( Ivo Van Damme and Kim Gevaert ). Belgium is the site of some famous and Omloop "Het Volk" . Examples of the Walloon races include Liège-Bastogne-Liège and La Flèche Wallonne . Regional loyalties are often found in full display at these races. Belgium is also the dominant country in Cyclocross , and has produced a few MTB champions. FOLKLORE Festivals play a major role in Belgium's cultural life. Nearly every city and town has its own festival, some that date back several centuries. And these aren't just tricks for tourism, but real, authentic celebrations that take months to prepare. Two of the biggest festivals are the three-day Carnival at Binche , near Mons , held just before Lent (the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter), and the Procession of the Holy Blood, held in Bruges in May. During the carnival in Binche, "Gilles" lead the procession, which are men dressed in high, plumed hats and bright costumes. Several of these festivals include sporting competitions, such as Cycling , and many of these festivals fall under the category of Kermesse . An important holiday (which is however not an official public holiday) takes place each year on ''). This is sort of an early Christmas. On December 5 evening before going to bed, kids put their shoes by the hearth with some water or wine and a carrot for Saint Nicholas's horse or Donkey . Supposedly St. Nicholas then comes at night and travels down the chimney. He then takes the food and water or wine, puts down presents, goes back up, feeds his horse or donkey, and continues his course. He also knows whether kids have been good or bad. This holiday is especially loved by children in Belgium and the Netherlands. Dutch immigrants imported the tradition into the United States , where Saint Nicholas is now known as Santa Claus . SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|