【欧洲·比利时】班什狂欢节 The Carnival of Binche（2008年）

比利时中世纪的城市——班什，位于比利时埃诺省的布鲁塞尔的南部60多公里处。每年大斋期前的三天里，这个有着32000多居民的城市都举办狂欢节。届时这个历史古城的居民全体总动员，引得外地游客蜂拥而至。著名的班什狂欢节，可追溯至中世纪，是欧洲现存的最为古老的街道狂欢节之一。 　　
　　狂欢节的准备工作始于6个星期前，整座城市沉浸在节日的欢腾之中，数千人都忙着制作华丽的服饰、排练鼓乐演出及准备化妆舞会。斋期前三天的第一天是星期日，狂欢节正式开始，大街小巷和咖啡店到处簇拥着戴面具寻欢作乐的人群。男子身穿奇异女装，是这一天的突出亮点。四旬斋前的最后一天是星期二，传说人物吉勒戏剧性的出现，使狂欢节达到高潮。举行着装仪式后，几百个人装扮成吉勒，身穿红色、黄色或黑色服装，头顶插着鸵鸟羽毛的帽子，脚踏木屐，佩着铃铛，戴着有一副绿色小眼镜的蜡质面具，踩着鼓点穿城而过。后面跟着滑稽小丑和农夫，地方铜管乐队和化了妆的狂欢人群，组成熙熙攘攘、纷至沓来的游行队伍。舞蹈者在中提琴和鼓的传统乐曲中表演一系列奇异舞步，包括长年保留的节目——叫作“吉勒”的舞蹈。待到五彩缤纷的焰火照亮夜空，大广场上又跳起了吉勒舞，庆祝活动也就达到狂欢节顶峰。班什的狂欢节是一种真正的民族节日，参与者都是自发的，而且乐于提供财力支持。该城居民对这项庆典深感骄傲，并全心致力于保存狂欢节的传统音乐和舞蹈，以及工艺、服饰、道具的制作技术。

The medieval city of Belgium, Banche, is more than 60 kilometers south of Brussels in Hainaut, Belgium. In the three days leading up to Ramadan each year, the city, which has more than 32,000 inhabitants, hosts carnival. At that time, the residents of this historic city all the mobilization, led to the influx of foreign tourists. The famous Banche carnival, dating back to the Middle Ages, is one of the oldest existing street carnivals in Europe. The preparations for Carnival began 6 weeks ago, when the whole city was immersed in festive jubilation, and thousands of people were busy making gorgeous costumes, rehearsing drums and preparing masquerade balls. The first day of the three days before Ramadan was Sunday, the carnival officially began, and the streets and coffee shops were surrounded by masked people. The man, dressed in bizarre women's clothes, was the highlight of the day. The last day before Lent was Tuesday, when the dramatic appearance of the legendary figure Gilles brought the carnival to a climax. After the dress ceremony, hundreds of people dressed as Gilles, dressed in red, yellow or black clothing, with ostrich feather hats on top of their heads, pedal clogs, with bells, wax masks with small green glasses, and passed through the city on drums. followed by comical clowns and farmers, local brass bands and makeup revellers, formed a bustling, pouring procession. Dancers perform a series of bizarre dance steps in the traditional music of Viola and drums, including long-preserved programs called "Gilles". Until the colourful fireworks illuminate the night sky, the Grand Square has another Gilles dance, and the celebrations reach the top of the carnival. Banche’s Carnival is a true national holiday in which participants are spontaneous and willing to provide financial support. The city’s residents are proud of the celebration and are fully committed to preserving the traditional music and dance of Carnival, as well as the production techniques of crafts, costumes and props.