Karnaval in Bergen Op Zoom

I think I know now where Terry Gilliam gets his ideas. When we stepped into the world of carnival in the small town of Bergen op Zoom in the Netherlands yesterday, I felt as though I was stepping into one of his films. We were among the ten or so people in the village who weren't costumed in some way, shape or form. The rule: gather all the junk you can find in your house and attach it to your head. Next, wear every cape or flowy cloth you own, some lace, leg warmers, and wooden clogs. And don't forget your mask, even if it makes you look like you just came out of oral surgery. Nothing was left to the imagination. Crabs were the shellfish of choice, and enlarged plastic replicas with human-like faces were hung on every facade.


Then there was the parade. At the beginning we yawned at the stream of advertisments going by in the form of sponsored trucks and vans tossing out flyers. But it quickly morphed into the float-and-band variety. I cannot even begin to describe what this was like. Goblins, dwarves, witches, princesses, and even Sponge Bob showed up for the party. The bands all played the same song, which I wish I knew the title to, but that will have to remain a mystery. I wish I knew the meaning behind these practices (i.e. which floats were meant to drive away demons). What surprised me the most was that the whole shabang was very much a locally-driven enterprise, and that folks of all ages were involved and actually excited about it. There was no cynicism about rituals that have been tirelessly repeated since the Middle Ages.

Next time we do something like this, we will go with a larger group, and we will dress up and not care, because that's the way the locals do it. When it comes to carnival, you're all in. Otherwise, get out of town.