page_title: Ommegang of Brussels
section_title: The original Ommegang (1348–1785)
hierarchical_section_title: Ommegang of Brussels / History / The original Ommegang (1348–1785)
context_page_description: The Ommegang of Brussels is a traditional Ommegang, a type of medieval pageant, celebrated in Brussels, Belgium.
  Originally, it was the largest lustral procession of Brussels, which took place once a year, on the Sunday before Pentecost. Since 1930, the Ommegang of Brussels has taken the form of a historical reenactment of the entry of Emperor Charles V and his son Philip in Brussels in 1549. Nowadays, it takes place twice a year, at the turn of June and July. The event is organised by Ommegang Oppidi Bruxellensis, an association close to the City of Brussels.
  The term "Ommegang", in Latin "circumambulatio", means "moving around" in Dutch and it is an old historical evocation of Brussels. It joins the tradition of the great processions of notable riders and giants that are found everywhere in Belgium and northern France. Its starting point is the Sablon and it ends with a large spectacle at the Grand Place.
context_section_description: Through the following decades, what was originally a religious procession took on gradually a more worldly outlook. The Ommegang of 1549 corresponds to a golden age of the procession. From the mid-16th century, the Ommegang not only celebrated the miraculous legend, but became intertwined with the Joyous Entry of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The Ommegang thus developed into an important religious and civil event in the annual calendar of Brussels.
  During the second half of the 16th century, the event was dependent on political and religious upheavals in the Spanish Low Countries. Between 1580 and 1585, when the city was in the hands of the Protestants, the procession was simply suppressed. In the 17th century, the event regained its luster, under the government of Albert VII and Isabella. In the 18th century, the decline of the demonstration began. The last (very small) Ommegang took place in 1785.
caption: The Ommegang in Brussels on 31 May 1615. The Triumph of Archduchess Isabella, by Denis van Alsloot
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