more Carnival

The traditional carnival which occurs everywhere around the world usually takes place the week before Ash Wednesday, before lent when you have to abstain from all kinds of spoils (food, drink and other "unworldly activities"....). The idea being that you have to get it all out of your system before Lent officially starts. At the end of the Carnival in Cologne they burn the mascot doll of the festival in the hopes that all the sins of carnival will burn along with it.

In Tournai the Carnival celebrates the end of winter and the start of the new harvest again with some sort of doll burning :)

Camille is originally from Tournai so naturally we had to pay a little visit to her carnival this year.

Aside from the carnival being quite impressive in size and duration Tournai itself is a beautiful city, a medieval city and the perfect backdrop for a big party! Tournai is a very old city and was a very important place as of the 5th century. It's crazy how many little surprises, like Tournai, Belgium has up it's sleeve.




So we drank, danced, met many fellow partiers and danced and drank some more....