Origins of the Laetare.Delight yourself is the translation of the Latin term « Laetare ».

That is used to denominate the Carnivals in Wallonia three weeks before Easter and the name

given to the fourth lent Sunday.From 1856 until 1882, the Carnival in La Louvière

did not take place in March as nowadays. It appeared in 1856 in Baume.

The gilles were called « Marabout » or « Ramponeau », « Humps Burning » and « The

Big Procession » are key events of the Laetare in La Louvière. For more information, just have a

look of the 3 days carnival.

Pictures from 1880 (origin)

Laetare Sunday.• Isn’t 4 o'clock in the morning too early to begin the carnival ?

Certainly not for the Gille… It’s 4 o’clock in the morning.The Gille is happy to find the Laetare back. He doesn’t complain : he gets up early on this Sunday March and dance all day even if the weather is bad. Everybody embraces each other and drinks champagne. For me, drinking champagne is not a nice tradition because if you drink so much champagne in the morning you can get drunk very soon. Then, the societies gather together at the city centre. It is 10 o'clock and the "masked rondo" is formed. The Gille grabs his nearest friend's ramon and the Gille puts his majestic ostrich feather hat on. The "appertintailles" are chiming La Louvière up. The appertintailles are parts of the gille’s costume. It's a belt composed of little bells with yellow and red wool. It’s really beautiful because all the societies gather together on "Place Communale”. There are many colourful and amusing costumes and everybody has fun. The Gilles launch oranges and the other societies throw sweets. In my family anybody makes the Gille but I know that there are many societies and the biggest one is "the Commerçants".

Laetare Monday.• The Carnival procession takes place on the half Lent Monday

afternoon. This moment is highly appreciated by La Louvière inhabitants who gather together far from the big crowd. The confetti battles animate most of the pubs on Monday. I find it is very funny. There are a lot of young people. Then the Gille gets back to his family to recover some strength. I think that the Gille easily forgets his tireness because he likes partying. I have never seen the procession because it's during the afternoon and I ’m sleeping at that moment. Maybe I would go and see if it happened at night. « The Procession » begins at 4 o'clock in the afternoon at a place known as "Place du Hocquet". All the folklore societies, a procession of 1,000 participants starts in the heart of the « Cité des Loups ». The spectator is charmed by both music and the sight of those costumes and hats. It is 7 o'clock in the evening when finally the refrain dear to the whole city arises : "Mitant des Camps, Louis, Mitant des Camps ne périra pas (will not die)". More than a refrain, that joyful rime contains a slice of La Louvière spirit.

• Do you have a carnival in your town and do you have such a song ?

Laetare Tuesday.• Tuesday is the last day of the carnival for La Louvière. The tradition

of Tuesday is « Humps Burning ».I find it very interesting because it represents the end of the carnival.The scene takes place in the city centre at 9 o’clock in the evening. A gille costume staffed with straw is hanged upon a big fire. The dummy is consumed slowly. The Gilles surround the spectacle, the city centre lights up and the dancing shadows animated themselves along the façades.« Humps Burning » was fabulous this year and there were a lot of people ! It was instituted in the last century by « Le vieux Gilles du Hocquet » (old Gilles of the hiccup). At that time the carnival always ended immediately after the Burning which is not the case anymore : Nowadays, it carries on up to Wednesday dawn and goes to sleep for one year. I like the carnival because you can see a lot of friends. During 3 days, you enjoy yourself ! I am not sad when it ends up because three days fun is tiring and next Laetare will soon be here.

L'Air du Mitant des Camps • Le " Mitant des Camps " est un des plus anciens quartiers de La

Louvière. En 1924, c'est encore un hameau constitué exclusivement de petites maisons ouvrières agencées le long de la rue principale. De tout temps, il fut pourtant le cadre d'une vie associative riche, qui s'est concrétisée par une participation très large au folklore du Laetare. (F.L.)

•

" Mitant des Camps, Louis, Mitant des Camps ne périra pas ! "

• Voilà bien l'emblème d'une ville ainsi que le symbole de la chaleur et de l'ouverture d'esprit de La Louvière. L'Air du Mitant des Camps est plus qu'une chanson populaire. A La Louvière, c'est une véritable Brabançonne régionale dont, tout au long de l'année, on entend le refrain égrener la vie locale.

On Sunday, the first activity of the gille is the collection

On Sunday, the first activity of the gille is the collection

The drums go out to make the gilles

dance.

The drums go out to make the gilles

dance.

The gilles put on their mask. It ’s a

tradition.

The gilles put on their mask. It ’s a

tradition.

The drum roll and the

« appertintailles » chiming wake La

Louvière up.

The drum roll and the

« appertintailles » chiming wake La

Louvière up.

The » rondeau » : the gille grabs his nearest friend ’s ramon. A long and colourful snake stands out.

The » rondeau » : the gille grabs his nearest friend ’s ramon. A long and colourful snake stands out.

D ’jobri and D ’jobrette go out

for the procession.

D ’jobri and D ’jobrette go out

for the procession.

This is a photograph of the society «  Les commerçants «  dating from 1974.

This is a photograph of the society «  Les commerçants «  dating from 1974.

Fantasist costumes by the « Bî-contints « on Sunday afternoon

Fantasist costumes by the « Bî-contints « on Sunday afternoon