The Dickinson press., 1905-03-04
THE GILES OF BINCHE.
Their Carnival the Quaintest of Bel
gian Medieval Customs,

VheAr CarnAVaA the Qua1nteSt OF Bel
gian Medieval Customs.
The persistent manner in which Bel
gians cling to their medieval festivals
and traditions is n characteristic ma
donal trait well known to those famil-
lar with the Flemish and Walloon
provinces. The survival of such popu-
lar fetes rs that Of the carnival pro.
cession of the dancing GILES at Binche
attcsts the innate love of Belgians for
these picturesque vestiges of their fore
fathers civilization.
The festival Of the dancing GILES of
Binche Is in many respects the quaint
est Of these popular customs. This fes-
tival takes place on Mardi Gras at the
Binche, town of Hainaut. The car
nival of Binche has always been held
in high repute by Belgians, but with
out its GILES it would not be substan-
TALLY different from that of Rome, Nice
and other towns.
These GILES, or dancing men, who
form the glory Of the Binche carnival,
are characterized by their headdresses
and humps. The headdress Is most
elaborate and striking. In shape it re-
sembles the old time top hat of our
great-grandfathers. The hat Is sur
mounted with magnificent ostrich feath-
ers from three to four feet in length,
which give to the wearers the appear
ance Of giants. From each hat, be-
sides, flow several wide. variegated rib
bons, while the Giles trousers are be-
decked with trimmings Of real lace and
ribbons to match those Of the hat. Ev-
cry Gille wears a mask and silk belt,
from which hang small bells.
The entire Giles outfit costs from
$40 to $50, large sum for the peasant
youths, generally selected by the car.
nival committee to fill the part of ac-
tors in the Mardi Gras festivities. The
honor Of being Gille Is so great, how
ever, among the gay Lotharios Of
Binche and carries such prestige with
the local damsels that the young men
chosen by the committee are only too
pleased to make the financial sacrifice
demanded Of them. ..
In the afternoon Of Mardi Gras the
GILES, in full uniform, 200 strong, pre-
ceded by the local brass bands and
musical clubs, appear in procession and
march toward the Grande place. The
sight thus offered is unique in the an
nails of carnival rejoicings. The GILES
proceed by dancing to the tune Of the
band just mentioned. At every few
steps they stop, bend and unbend, to
heighten the effect Of the ringing from
the bells worn at their BELTS Their
streamers float to and fro and envelop
them In a rainbow Of ribbon. At the
same time the simultaneous ringing of
bells and humping Of wooden sabots
on the cobblestones sound like the echo
Of cavalry charge.
The GILES have each straw basket
hanging to one side from the belt and
filled with oranges With these they
lombard the spectators as they dance
along. AS soon as emptied the bas-
kets are filled again by men from be-
hind, appointed for this duty. A gen.
eral battle of oranges then takes place
between the GILES and the carnival
merrymakers. Finally the procession
reaches the town hall, in front of
which, seated on a platform, is the
mayor, surrounded by the municipal
officials. The GILES then terminate the
days festivities by q general war
dance, giving prolonged exhibition of
their capabilities. The public likewise
Joins in the fun, and soon some 5000
persons, men, women and children, may
be seen gayly waltzing around the
Grande place. The sight of an entire
population dressed in carnival costume
and masked dancing in the open air to
the music of the GILES brass band is
one not easily forgotten. The dancing
continues until the late evening. when
the sport is brought to an end by the
mayor, who formally awards gold
medal to the Gille who has proved him
self the most expert dancer-New York
Tribune T..