The Dutch word Ommegang, originally spelled Ommeganck, means moving or walking around. An Ommegang was a common procession in many cities of the medieval Low Countries (today’s Belgium, Netherlands and north of France), but a visit from Charles V to Brussels in 1549 completely transformed the meaning of the event.
1. Origins and evolution
In Brussels, the Ommegang used to be a religious procession, held every year on the Sunday before Pentecost, in honour of “Our Lady of Victory” (the Virgin Mary), the protector of the city. Her statue would be taken out of the Church of Our Lady, in the Sablon area, and walked around the streets in celebration.
The statue of “Onze-Lieve-Vrouw op ‘t Stocxken” (“Our Lady on the little stick”), which was thought to have healing powers, had belonged to the Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp. But, according to legend, one night, Mary appeared in the dreams of a local devout woman, Beatrijs Soetkens, and told her to bring the statue to the chapel of the Crossbowmen’s Guild in the Sablon district of Brussels. Beatrijs followed the instructions, successfully stole the statue from Antwerp and brough it to the Crossbowmen’s Guild in 1348 after which the Ommegang began.
Over the centuries, the yearly processions held in veneration of “Our Lady” slowly steered away from their religious meaning, turning into more secular celebrations. Ommegangs became parades for cities around the Low Countries to boast their wealth and glory, especially when receiving visits from Charles V, who then ruled over most of Europe. Coming to Brussels in 1549 to introduce his son, at that time a mere infant, the future King Philip II of Spain, the Holy Roman Emperor was received with spectacular equestrian parades.
After that one grandiose celebration however, the popularity and splendour of the Brussels Ommegang started to fade away and, by the end of the 18th century, the procession no longer took place.
2. Ommegang today
Almost 2 centuries later, in 1930, on the 100th anniversary of the Belgian Revolution, some historians wanted to reenact the grandiose 1549 Ommegang. The event enjoyed so much success that it became a yearly tradition and, nowadays, the same 1549 procession is reenacted every beginning of July. Thousands of people gather around the Grand Place for the Ommegang, which now ends the Renaissance Festival, a month-long series of events that showcase European heritage and history during the prosperous rule of Charles V.
Recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in 2019, the event sees about 1,400 reenactors take over the Grand Place. Descendants of the royalty and nobility from the 1549 procession form the royal court for whom folkloric groups, knights, flags, stilt-walkers, marionettes, giants and parade floats are presented. Crossbowmen and “Our Lady of Victory” are also included in the procession, in honour of its origins, while the dazzling medieval costumes are complemented by light displays, combining tradition and modernity in a perfectly harmonious contrast.
