Came back to Z to find the central square and main street looking like the midway of the state fair. Filled with soon to be flashing nosy rides, deep fat fryers, etc. A kermis... More on this later.
After dinner went to the Thursday night concert in the park. 5 piece blues band, fedoras, Fenders, harp. A song dedicated to Mother Theresa with the refrain "you gotta pick a card..." They'd fit right in at Famous Daves in Uptown. All local guys. By the way, Alice Cooper was here my first weekend in Z, when I was in Brussels at another concert. If this was 1973 I would be kicking myself for missing him.
Back to the kermis. here is what Wikipedia has to say: "Kermesse or kermis, is a Dutch language term derived from 'kerk' (church) and 'mis' (mass) that became borrowed in English and French, originally denoting the mass said on the anniversary of the foundation of a church (or the parish) and in honour of the patron. Such celebrations were regularly held in the Low Countries and also in northern France, and were accompanied by feasting, dancing and sports of all kinds. Arguably the first kermesse was an annual parade to celebrate the events of 1370 (some sources say 1369) in Brussels, when all the Jews of the city were burnt alive for having profaned a basket of communion hosts, which bled when stabbed.
According to one source, those Jews who could prove that they did not profane the hosts were not killed, but were merely banished from Brussels." I found a painting at the Brussel city history museum which shows the story. Hooked nose men stabbing communion wafers, the hosts bleeding, drops being caught in a cup, presumably to be drunk. Just like the priest and communicants, except for the knives. No doubt the Jews of Brussels had accumulated a significant amount of property and were owed money by those in power and it was time for redistribution of resources.... There goes my materialism mixed with cynicism again....
Even without the troublesome history I will probably avoid it until Tuesday when there is a big cycle race that starts in Zottegem. I suppose there is an awful story about pogroms associated with most every town in Europe..... Confession - jumped into an issue at LASM today via email....Will try to stay away.
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