The report on the implementation of the Convention, due by States Parties every 6 years, includes a section on the elements inscribed on the Representative List. Read more on periodic reports Belgium Inscribed in 2010 (5.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Houtem Jaarmarkt is an annual trading fair taking place in the village of Sint-Lievens-Houtem in the south-east of the Belgian province of East Flanders the village becomes the site of the country’s last substantial open-air market for trading cattle and purebred horses Hundreds of dealers proudly display their animals before judges farmers and thousands of enthusiastic visitors People travel from across the country to visit the five hundred stallholders and other traders: experiencing touching and buying agricultural machinery or animals and witnessing transactions that still retain old negotiating techniques such as handclapping With more than six hundred horses and twice as many cows up for sale the fair is a crucial date in the calendar and identity of professionals in the livestock trade Each year a different foreign region is invited to present its attractions regional products and craftsmanship at the fair farmers and artisans of different nations to meet and interact The fair and market have a huge impact on the local community with private houses turned into public venues where one can enjoy music For these two days the whole village is transformed into one open Password forgotten? The Belgian classic takes the riders from Sint-Lievens-Houtem to Zottegem where a chance for the sprinters may be ahead Subscribe yourself for the Team Visma | Lease a Bike newsletter and receive previews for races Belgium has a rich culture and heritage that is well-preserved and protected by the Belgians we have mentioned some of the elements of intangible cultural heritage of Belgium that have been recognized by the UNESCO Falconry is a heritage of not only Belgium but several other countries like Saudi Arabia Although it was originally used as a means to find food currently it is more a symbol of cultural heritage and nature conservation Falconers engaged in falconry breed bird of prey and train them They share a strong bond with the birds and protect them against harm Falconers believe that these their engagement with the birds is one of their few remaining links to nature and tradition in a modern world a winter fair and a livestock market are hosted at Sint-Lievens-Houtem Hundreds of traders arrive at this market to sell their horses and cattle It is the country’ last open-air market for trading in these animals and old techniques of negotiation like handclapping are still used here It is an annual event that is held in the town of Binche in Belgium It is held from Sunday to Tuesday prior to Ash Wednesday Celebrations during this festival include street performances and public displays Gilles who are clown-like performers are the major attractions at the festival This is a religious procession of the Catholics that has been held since the Middle Ages The procession takes place each year on Ascension Day in Bruges The centerpiece of the procession is the Relic which is a cloth with the blood of Jesus Christ which was brought to Bruges after the Second Crusade in the 12th century Thousands of spectators watch the procession which includes a parade of biblical stories and historical scenes The Geraardsbergen city of Belgium celebrates the festival of Krakelingen and Tonnekensbrand on a Sunday that precedes the first Monday of March when the annual market is hosted in the city Preparations for the festival start several days before the celebration day Special ring-shaped bread called krakelingen are baked and shops are decorated a parade with a thousand participants starts from the Hunnegem church and climbs the hill to reach the Holy Mary Chapel It is a religious parade involving ceremonies of religious nature Ten thousand krakelingen are thrown into the crowd One of these contains a ticket and the owner of the ticket wins a specially crafted golden jewel a wooden barrel is lighted to symbolize the beginning of the spring season Ludodiversity refers to the diversity of sports a non-governmental organization in Belgium takes several measures to protect ludodiversity in Belgium Their programs involve not only modern sports but also the country’s traditional games which includes different types of ball games this annual event is held for three days in the days preceding Ash Wednesday Most of the festivities are held on the streets where the participants dance at the city squares and visit the café in the city The carnival traces its origin to the Middle Ages Festivities include a humorous city council session a great carnival parade that includes more than 100 floats A unique method of shrimp fishing can be observed in Belgium’s Oostduinkerke where twelve households are involved in this activity Strong horses are made to wade breast-deep in the surf and pull funnel-shaped nets held by wooden boards on either side A chain attached to the system when dragged on the ground creates vibrations causing the shrimp to jump up and land on the net The catch is then collected in baskets attached to the horses This tradition involves the entire community and gives them a strong cultural identity A two-day Shrimp Festival is also held in Oostduinkerke that involves street theaters Thousands of visitors visit the site each year to watch the spectacle and enjoy the local cuisine Making and appreciating beer is an integral part of the culture of Belgium Many communities across the country are involved in brewing Nearly 1,500 types of beer are produced here using various fermentation methods Beer is also extensively used in cooked several types of dishes The Carillon culture of Belgium is the art of using bells to make music Those skilled in this art are known as carillonneurs This type of music is played on festive and market days in many parts of Belgium A programme has been launched to protect this culture of the country The aim is to protect and preserve the practices and other elements of the carillon culture photos and original descriptions © 2025 worldatlas.com Dana is a reporter and Travel Tomorrow’s Associate Editor She graduated in Political Science and International Relations She moved to Brussels from Romania for her studies and Mont des Arts made her fall in love with the city and remain here all constitute Intangible Cultural Heritage Belgium is rich in traditions and events of such incommensurable value. Below are 10 of the Belgian festivities inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List the musical art of horn players – an instrumental technique linked to singing the cultivation of ludodiversity – traditional games in Flanders the Houtem Jaarmarkt annual winter fair and livestock market at Sint-Lievens-Houtem and the Krakelingen and Tonnekensbrand end-of-winter bread and fire feast at Geraardsbergen Inscribed in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity The town of Binche is situated south of Brussels in Belgium’s Hainaut province it is host to carnival festivities that mobilize the historic centre and attract crowds of foreign visitors Binche’s famed celebration ranks as one of Europe’s oldest surviving street carnivals Traditional processions of huge figurines of giants animals or dragons encompass an original ensemble of festive popular manifestations and ritual representations These first appeared in urban religious processions at the end of the 14th century in many European towns and continue to serve as emblems of identity for certain Belgian (Ath Mechelen and Mons) and French towns (Cassel Inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity the ceremony has played an important role in expressing the identity of Bruges’s inhabitants and in facilitating encounters with people from outside the city 30,000 to 45,000 spectators gather in the heart of the city to watch the Procession of the Holy Blood on Ascension Day Led by the thirty city notables of the Brotherhood of the Holy Blood and accompanied by brass bands in carts or on horseback perform stories from the Old Testament the life of Jesus and the history of Bruges The colourful pageant dates back to the 13th century when a citizen of Bruges is said to have brought the Relic of the Holy Blood of Jesus Christ back from the Second Crusade Inscribed in 2011 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity The Leuven age set ritual repertoire is a rite of passage in a man’s life centring on the ten years leading up to his fiftieth birthday For men living in or around Leuven a journey of socio-cultural and philanthropic activities and ceremonies commences at the age of forty with the forming of an age set and culminates at the age of fifty on Abraham Day with a celebration in the city’s central park around the statue of the prophet Abraham Inscribed in 2012 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity The Marches of Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse are a major component of the cultural identity of the eponymous region found between the rivers of Sambre and Meuse in Wallonia The marches commemorate the dedication of churches of many villages and small towns honouring the Saint to whom the religious buildings are dedicated Inscribed in 2013 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity There are only twelve households in Oostduinkerke actively engaged in shrimp fishing such as weaving nets or an extensive knowledge of Brabant draft horses A good knowledge of the sea and the sand strip coupled with a high level of trust and respect for one’s horse The tradition gives the community a strong sense of collective identity and plays a central role in social and cultural events including the two-day Shrimp Festival for which the local community spends months building floats preparing street theatre and making costumes Selected in 2014 on the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices The art of making music with bells (carillon) is performed by carillonneurs traditionally during market and festive days The programme to safeguard carillon culture exists in 76 Belgian cities and villages as well as in another 30 countries around the world The primary objectives are to preserve the components of historic carillon culture (practices and to ensure the continuity and sustainable development of carillon music as a living heritage that fosters cultural identity and social cohesion Inscribed in 2016 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Making and appreciating beer is part of the living heritage of a range of communities throughout Belgium Almost 1,500 types of beer are produced in the country using different fermentation methods certain regions becoming known for their particular varieties Inscribed in 2019 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Having originated as a religious event in 1348 the tradition declined in the 18th century and the modern Ommegang was then recreated in 1928-1930 based on descriptions of the procession Charles V attended in 1549 Inscribed in 2021 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity participants attempt to knock all the members of the opposing team to the ground Stilt jousting is a strong marker of Namur’s identity and is seen as a factor of cohesion and integration for the inhabitants of the city The tradition dates back to the early 15th century when the jousters were grouped into two teams: the Mélans representing the new town and neighbouring villages applicants join a team based on affinity rather than on location Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website Statistics cookies collect information anonymously This information helps us to understand how our visitors use our website Vlaams Belang maakt topkandidaten bekend voor 2024: nieuwkomers in elke top drie Het Vlaams Belang maakte vandaag haar lijsttrekkers en topkandidaten bekend voor de Vlaamse federale en Europese verkiezingen volgend jaar De partij trekt daarbij resoluut de kaart van vernieuwing “In elke top drie schuiven we een nieuw talent naar voor” “Het mag duidelijk zijn: het Vlaams Belang is klaar om de Vlamingen in 2024 het degelijke en rechtse beleid te geven dat ze verdienen.” Vandaag keurde de partijraad van het Vlaams Belang in Antwerpen de kandidaten definitief goed “We gaan met een sterke ploeg naar de kiezer” “Met heel wat nieuwe gezichten onder de kandidaten geven we ruimte voor nieuwe politieke beloften Gecombineerd met de ervaring van onze al gekende Kamer- en Vlaams Parlementsleden spelen we een ijzersterke combinatie uit De lijst voor het Vlaams Parlement in West-Vlaanderen wordt getrokken door Vlaams Parlementslid Immanuel De Reuse De tweede plaats wordt er ingevuld door nieuwkomer Sarah T’Joens (32) uit Wervik T’Joens heeft een bachelor in Toerisme en Recreatiemanagement en is momenteel vertegenwoordiger in bouwmaterialen Op de derde plaats prijkt Vlaams Parlementslid Stefaan Sintobin Voor de Kamer zal Kamerlid Wouter Vermeersch opnieuw de West-Vlaamse lijst trekken Kamerlid Dominiek Sneppe volgt op de tweede plaats De derde plaats wordt opgenomen door Kristien Verbelen (41) uit Oostkamp Verbelen is actief in de bouwsector en voorzitter van de lokale Vlaams Belang-afdeling in Oostkamp In Oost-Vlaanderen trekt Vlaams Parlementslid en Ninoofs sterkhouder Guy D’Haeseleer opnieuw de Vlaamse lijst Op twee volgt nieuwkomer Freija Van den Driessche (34) uit Sint-Lievens-Houtem Van den Driessche heeft een doctoraat in de farmaceutische wetenschap Ze werkt vandaag als inhoudelijk medewerker voor de partij in de Kamer waar ze het thema Volksgezondheid opvolgt De derde plaats wordt ingevuld door Vlaams Parlementslid en Vlaams Belang Jongeren-voorzitter Filip Brusselmans Kamerfractieleider Barbara Pas trekt de Oost-Vlaamse Kamerlijst Op twee komt Kamerlid en huidige voorzitter van de commissie Binnenlandse Zaken Ortwin Depoortere Op drie staat ook een nieuw gezicht: Francesca Van Belleghem (28) uit Erpe-Mere Van Belleghem heeft een master in de Rechten en in Fiscaliteit Ze werkte eerder als advocaat en consultant maar volgt nu als inhoudelijk medewerker voor de partij in de Kamer het Asiel- en Migratiebeleid op Voorzitter Tom Van Grieken zal zoals eerder aangekondigd de lijst voor het Vlaams Parlement in Antwerpen trekken Hij wordt gevolgd door Anke Van dermeersch Op de derde plaats prijkt nieuwkomer Dries Devillé (35) Hij is advocaat en bedrijfsjurist en is tevens 12 jaar gemeenteraadslid geweest in Halle De Kamerlijst wordt in Antwerpen getrokken door voormalig Vlaams Parlementslid en coördinator van de studiedienst Lode Vereeck (58) uit Kalmthout De tweede en derde plaats voor de Kamer worden ingevuld door Kamerleden Ellen Samyn en Reccino Van Lommel In Vlaams-Brabant zal Vlaams Parlementslid Klaas Slootmans de Vlaamse lijst trekken Op twee staat Vlaams Parlementslid Suzy Wouters De derde plaats wordt ingevuld door Frédéric Erens (55) uit Keerbergen Erens is bankdirecteur en tevens afdelingsvoorzitter van de Vlaams Belang-afdeling in Keerbergen Hij is ook provinciaal voorzitter van de partij in Vlaams-Brabant Hij zetelde al eens voor de partij tussen 2004 en 2009 De top drie voor de Kamerlijst in Vlaams-Brabant bestaat uit maar liefst twee nieuwkomers De jonge historica Britt Huybrechts (24) uit Leuven zal de lijst trekken Huybrechts was de eerste vrouwelijke KVHV-praeses in Leuven en werkt vandaag als geschiedenisleerkracht Op twee komt jurist en ondernemer Kurt Moons (59) uit Beersel Moons was onder meer gedelegeerd bestuurder voor Brantano en voorzitter van Pro Flandria De top drie wordt gesloten door Kamerlid Katleen Bury In Limburg zal opnieuw Vlaams fractieleider Chris Janssens de Vlaamse lijst trekken Hij wordt op twee bijgestaan door Vlaams Parlementslid Roosmarijn Beckers De derde plek is voor nieuwkomer Michiel Awouters (29) uit Halen Awouters heeft een master in de Internationale Politiek en is momenteel inhoudelijk medewerker in de Kamer voor de partij De Kamerlijst wordt getrokken door Kamerlid Annick Ponthier Op drie komt ook hier een nieuwkomer: Dieter Keuten (35) uit Tessenderlo De Europese lijst wordt getrokken door Europees Parlementslid Tom Vandendriessche Op de tweede plaats staat Barbara Bonte (40) uit Sint-Martens-Latem Bonte werd in 2014 al eens verkozen in het Vlaams Parlement maar zette een stap opzij om zich volledig te kunnen focussen op haar gezin Europees Parlementslid Gerolf Annemans sluit de top drie Hij kondigde eerder al aan de Europese lijst niet meer te zullen trekken 44 miljoen euro aan belastinggeld wordt schaamteloos verkwist aan de monarchie een achterhaald prestigeproject van de Franstalige elite Von der Leyen doet aan partijpolitiek activisme En dat is onverenigbaar met haar functie van Europees Commissievoorzitter Aan de vooravond van 1 mei pleit het Vlaams Belang voor de splitsing van de sociale zekerheid Zo wordt Vlaanderen verantwoordelijk voor zijn eigen grondgebied en voor zijn eigen burgers 02/ 219.60.09 info@vlaamsbelang.org