Pauwlushoeve

Pauwelviering Galmaarden

> The annual Pauwel celebration is one of the most authentic, oldest and most original celebrations in Flanders! The party may not be over-known and only attracts a few hundred viewers, but that local nationwide makes it just as engaging. No tripe fairs and commercial situations, on the contrary, the Pauwelbende has to go on a begging tour itself to scrape together the necessary funds for the celebration. This is a real ancient folk celebration with respect for traditions or as they call it in Galmaarden, 'the customs'. If you have the chance to attend the event during your walking tour, don't miss it. The Pauwel celebration takes place every year on January 25, the day that the apostle Paul converted. If that day does not fall on a Sunday, it is on the first Sunday after January 25. For the most interesting part of 'the phoedingen' you have to be in the yard of the Pauwelhoeve in the Galmaard hamlet of St-Paulus on Sunday afternoon, followed by the sandwich throws around the nearby Pauluskapel.
> For the history of the Pauwel celebration, we may have to go back to the 14th century. There are several legends that are linked to the origin of the tradition. Galmaard's local historian Michel Matthijs finds an explanation about the Pauwel celebration, which comes from a book of 1843, as the most plausible legend from which this piece of folklore grew. Everything starts with the sack of the nearby town of Geraardsbergen in 1382. Geraardsbergen then, very much against the wishes of the Count of Flanders, Walter IV of Enghien, sided with the rebellious city of Ghent in their power struggle. Walter IV retaliated by burning down Geraardsbergen and killing many inhabitants. The dreaded disease plague quickly spread through the remaining corpses, also as far as Galmaarden. One day a knight in white robes appeared across the fields on a fungal horse. He distributed rye rolls to the desperate population at Galmaarden and miraculously the disease disappeared. The magic knight disappeared as quickly as he had come. A shepherd thought he recognized the apostle Paul himself in the knight. Since then, every year an evocation takes place that recalls this miraculous appearance. For this, a Paul is chosen every year, or as they say in Galmaarden, 'a Pauwel'. The food of the Pauwel rolls, which are distributed by him, protect against human disease and adversity in the harvests.
> That the tradition of the Pauwel celebration has survived for so many centuries is perhaps due to the deep Catholic faith that has always been very strong, especially here in the countryside. According to local historian Matthijs, the Pauwel celebration experienced a dip in the 60s, a time when rising prosperity and less interest in folklore determined the time frame. The Pauwel celebration is now alive and well again. A few trifles have been added, such as the election of a children's pauwel and the throwing of a golden rye roll, but almost everything is still respected from the old 'customs'. It is also nice that the Pauwelbende consists of young people, so that the tradition always gets fresh blood pumped in. In 2010 the 628th Pauwel was chosen!

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