As a cat lover, are you able to consider something extra superior than a parade devoted to cats? If I’ve already piqued your fancy by utilizing “cat” and “parade” in the identical sentence, you would possibly need to begin planning a visit to Belgium.

The Kattenstoet (which accurately interprets to “the Cat Parade”) happens in a small city named Ypres on the French border of Belgium on the second Sunday of Might each three years. Whereas this beloved pageant celebrates cats, it’s primarily based on a slightly horrific custom of the townsfolk of Ypres as soon as engaged in yearly.

Learn on to study extra about this distinctive pageant, together with its historical past and what to anticipate for those who plan to attend sooner or later.

What Occurs Throughout the Pageant?

The Kattenstoet parade operates very like another parade—the members construct elaborate floats, hand-sew costumes, and placed on performances. It’s commonplace to see fashionable depictions of cats on this history-focused pageant, both. For instance, there’s one notably standard float with a humongous Garfield cat peeking out from a cardboard field.

Whereas a lot of the pageant is feline-focused, some points of the parade don’t have anything to do with cats. Attendees might spot knights in chainmail strolling round with spears or of us wearing medieval garb clutching items of cloth. That is simply a part of the tribute to the city’s historical past and humble beginnings in material manufacturing.

The townspeople of Ypres take part within the pageant by adorning their retailers with cat shows or baking cat-shaped buns or cookies.

After the parade procession, somebody wearing a jester costume tosses stuffed kitties from the belfry to the eagerly awaiting townspeople beneath, who hope to catch one of many plushies.

After the jester has run out of cats to toss, a mock witch-burning occasion happens, by which the gang units a puppet witch aflame.

The pageant is a well-liked vacationer occasion in Belgium, bringing in hundreds of holiday makers and strengthening the native tourism financial system. Occasion organizers anticipated 50,000 spectators to return from close to and much to observe the 2024 parade.

How Did the Parade Come to Be?

Whereas the parade celebrates our adoring relationship with our cats, it wasn’t all the time this manner in Ypres.

Throughout the Center Ages, the city’s major business was material making. Material makers would use cats to maintain their warehouses freed from fabric-destroying vermin. These cats have been free to roam Ypres as they preferred through the winter months, however once they began reproducing too shortly, the city officers realized they have been in over their heads. Cats have been overrunning the city, and so they didn’t know what to do to handle the sudden overpopulation. They quickly determined it solely made sense to eliminate them.

As a substitute of delivery them off someplace or coping with them humanely, they determined to toss cats from the belfry tower to their deaths. They might do that yearly through the second week of Lent on a day they known as “Cat Wednesday.” This custom continued for a whole bunch of years into the 1800s.

It’s additionally essential to keep in mind that, on the time, cats have been related to witchcraft and evil, so eliminating them was a lot celebrated, and lots of regarded ahead to the occasion.

Fortunately, the final time a stay cat was thrown off the belfry was in 1819.

Ypres officers determined to reignite the custom in 1937, besides they selected to toss stuffed cats from the belfry as an alternative of actual ones. The objective was to acknowledge the city’s difficult historical past with cats and likewise have a good time them. The custom was placed on the again burner throughout World Conflict II however was again in full swing by 1946 when city officers added a parade to the enjoyable.

When Is the Kattenstoet?

The Kattenstoet is often held triennially on the second Sunday of Might. The latest pageant was in Might of this 12 months, so for those who’re hoping to e book a visit to attend the subsequent one, you’ll have to attend till 2027.

Last Ideas

The Kattenstoet parade is one thing for cat lovers so as to add to their bucket record. Being surrounded by hundreds of different feline-loving people appears like an awesome afternoon to me.

The pageant is a superb manner for the city of Ypres to acknowledge its difficult historical past with cats whereas additionally recognizing how a lot they love and admire them immediately.

Featured Picture Credit score: Piqsels