Street markets, mulled wine and tradition: the annual pilgrimage of the Spanish in Bruges
Who. Spanish tourists, generally very common on the streets of the large Belgian cities, become the absolute majority on the December long weekend.
That. It has become a tradition, almost a pilgrimage, for the fairy-tale beauty of Bruges, the Christmas decorations or the markets in the large squares, with mulled wine. Not even the skyrocketing prices of flights, which have tripled in two years, seem to stop it.
Just as Muslims have to go to Mecca once in their lives, Spaniards have to make a pilgrimage at least one bridge to Belgium. The similarities speak for themselves. The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam that guides its faithful, should be done, as far as possible, preferably in the last month of its calendar, and specifically between the 8th and 12th.. Upon reaching the holy city, Tawaf is performed, which consists of walking around the Kaaba seven times.
Spaniards have to go, at least once in their lives, to Brussels, Bruges and Ghent, in that order. Preferably on the December long weekend, the last month of the calendar. Upon arrival, confused, the usual thing is to walk around the Grand Place at least seven times in search of the Manneken Pis, because expecting a real statue, something memorable, they are unable to find that thing in the area.. Look if we have it so engrained in our DNA (the Duke of Alba would be proud) that in 2017, many thousands of Catalan independence supporters took advantage of the holiday to come on a walking trip to Brussels in support of Puigdemont.
If in general there are many tourists in the center of the Belgian capital strolling along the water or in the fairy-tale beguinage of Bruges, the influx skyrockets on the Constitution Bridge. Five out of three walkers speak Spanish, looking for restaurants open at 3:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m. and making comparisons with Obradoiro, Grano, Spain in Seville…. The majority do not go through Antwerp, that great unknown, or one of the little gems, and they usually end up disappointed in Brussels. But, in general, they return satisfied. They are not dying to repeat.
It's perfectly understandable. The Belgian nights in December (and it is night from shortly after Spanish lunchtime) are very beautiful. Dark, cold, with some snow if you're lucky and one of those rare Noël blanc falls. With decorations, an urbanism that awakens the Charles V that we all have inside. And markets with their stalls, ferris wheels and mulled wine. Winter Pleasures are called the capital's, because Christmas is no longer acceptable.
The dates are also unbeatable. On the 5th or 6th (depending on whether it is Flanders or Wallonia), Saint Nicholas arrives at all the houses (Sinterklaas, Sint-Nicolaas) just to his disturbing companion Père Fouettard / Zwarte Piet (more controversial every year), who distributes the children tangerines, chocolate and some toys. And the funny thing is that the saint, the local equivalent of Santa Claus, lives in Spain with his pages, and makes a visit almost like a pilgrimage.
Tourists don't want to miss the rest of the traditional locals either, of course.. Among them, my favorite (sic) is undoubtedly the Christmas bonus, something ancient but that has been modernized.. Police, firefighters, postal workers or garbage collectors pass through the houses these weeks in search of one of their own.. Since you can't trust anyone anymore, a few days before they leave a piece of paper in your mailbox wishing happy holidays in three languages and with a photo of the face of the workers who usually come across your street.. The genius is that since there are five or six types of garbage, and six types of colors in the bags, they all pass, one after the other. There is nothing more Belgian than asking for a tip with carols and joy in some of the dirtiest and most abandoned streets on the continent.