There are two Santa Claus figures in Belgian culture: St. Nicholas for Walloon speakers and Pere Noel for French speakers. St. Nicholas visits the children twice. On Dec. 4, St. Nicholas visits the children and inquires about whether they have been good. If the child has been good, then St. Nicholas returns on Dec. 6 to leave presents. If the child has been bad, then St. Nicholas returns and leaves the child twigs. Pere Noel visits the French-speaking children and acts in the same manner as St. Nicholas except he only visits once, on Dec. 6.
A special Belgian wedding tradition is to have the bride carry a handkerchief specially embroidered with her name on it. What makes the handkerchief special is that it also carries the name of the bride's mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and other female ancestors. The handkerchief becomes a family heirloom. It is framed after the wedding, then when the bride's daughter is to be wed, then the handkerchief is taken down and passed on to her.
Belgians take pride in preparing their foods from the best possible ingredients. As a result, many top-rated restaurants are Belgian. Belgian women will also go out of their way in order to ensure that the family will have a better meal. A traditional Belgian dish is mussels served with French fries, moule frites. Belgian chocolates and beer brewing are other major traditions.
The Festival of the Cats is also known as Kattenstoet. It takes place every third year in Ypres, Belgium, and commemorates the Middle Ages tradition of throwing cats out of the belfry tower in order to control their numbers. Cats were put in the tower during winter in order to control the number of rats. When spring came, the cats would be tossed out of the tower alive. The festival today involves the throwing of stuffed toy cats from the tower rather than live ones.
The Procession of the Holy Blood is a religious procession that occurs every year on Ascension Day. There is a parade showing off the supposed clotted blood of Christ, which according to legend turns back into blood every year on this day. The procession takes place in Bruges, Belgium. Many religious figures, such as bishops and priests, attend the event every year. The parade also includes live animals such as camels, as well as actors, dancers and other entertainers.
