I was going to my next post about moving to Belgium and all the fun that has been (in a nutshell; there's lots of paperwork I don't understand, different version of the NHS depending on what political party you support, lots of visits to different offices, and a joyful amount of beer), but instead I wanted to talk about the most amazing thing I have seen this week.
So... being away from the UK for a while means I've missed a lot of quirky British things that you forget no-one else cares about; for example,, our whimsical celebration of historical attempted domestic terrorism... Guy Fawkes Night. This takes place on the 5th of November every year, where we burn bonfires to celebrate the fact that the plot was foiled and the houses of parliament didn't go boom. Obviously this is only really a thing in the UK.
But fear not! My strange yearning to stand near a bonfire on an autumn night was satisfied right here in Belgium, where a nearby village had their annual "Lets set fire to all of the green waste we have been putting on this one huge pile all year! And lets get the kids involved!" Festival. I don't know if that is what it was called, that was an educated guess, based on my current understanding of Flemish*.
Basically, that is what happened. The pile was honestly the size of two houses, and not only was it lit by some serious looking dads with a flame thrower, but also a WHOLE PARADE of children aged 5 to 15 who walked from the middle of the village (one street away) all holding FLAMING TORCHES. ON FIRE. Like a young, well behaved, middle ages mob. There were no ambulances nearby, or fire engines, or any kind of safety system in place. There was however a bar and a bbq... This is where all the adults were hanging out while the kids all went to the other side of the bonfire, out of sight, so they could all literally play with fire unsupervised.
A lovely evening indeed. We didn't stick around long enough to see any kids set each other on fire unfortunately, but it was only a matter of time.
I wish wish wish I had some pictures to show y'all but I was too busy being politely horrified and trying not to get set alight
*Almost zero understanding, unless someone is swearing at me or ordering beer.
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