Dendermonde Ros Beiaard Jan Desmarets 01

The Ros Beiaard of

Dendermonde Dendermonde (; , ) is a city in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of East Flanders in Belgium. The Municipalities of Belgium, municipality comprises the city of Dendermonde and the towns of Appels, Baasrode, Grembergen, M ...

, Belgium, is a large folkloristic horse and the main character in the Ommegang van Dendermonde, a traditional folk festival held in that city. It is used only once every ten years and it is carried by members of a local guild, the ''Pijnders''. Traditionally, four young brothers from Dendermonde ("de Vier Heemskinderen"; the Four Sons of Aymon) ride the horse in full armour. Since 2008, the Ros Beiaard and the accompanying procession is recognised as a

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, as part of the bi-national inscription "

Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France The processional giants and dragons () of Belgium and France are a set of folkloric manifestations involving processional giants, which have been inscribed by UNESCO on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists, lists of Intangible Cultural ...

The legend of Ros Beiaard

* See: Ros Beiaard

't Peird van Dendermonde

The Ros Beiaard of

is carried through the town every ten years by a guild of bearers, called the ''Pijnders''. In keeping with the

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

, four young brothers from Dendermonde (de Vier Heemskinderen) wearing full armour sit astride the horse. The legend of Ros Beiaard is acted out during the procession.

Dimensions and weight

From the ground to the tallest part of the head, the Ros Beiaard is high. If the decorations on top are added, the horse is high. From nose to tail, the Ros is long and the width is exactly . The head of the Ros Beiaard is made out of oak wood and it is long and wide. The horse weighs without the brothers on top. The wooden frame has three spaces and has space for 12 bearers or ''Pijnders''.

The four 'Heemskinderen'

Every ten years, the selection of the four 'Heemskinderen' is difficult. The criteria are severe: * It has to be four consecutive brothers, without a girl in between. * They all have to be born in Dendermonde. * The parents and grandparents have to be born in Dendermonde. * They have to be between 7 and 21 years old on the day of the procession. * They have to live in Dendermonde or one of its suburbs.

19th century

In 1807, the Ros was ridden by Pieter-Emmanuel, Pieter-Frans, Pieter-Jan and Bernard-Jozef Blomme. The horse was used to celebrate the birthday of

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

and the Concordate. In 1850 the brothers were Edmond, Désiré, Henri and Lodewijk Spanogh. The procession celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Court and the Academy of Arts. The historian David Lindanus was also commemorated and

king Leopold II Leopold II (9 April 1835 – 17 December 1909) was the second king of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909, and the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908. Born in Brussels as the second but eldest-surviving son of King Le ...

attended the procession. The inauguration of the statue of Pater De Smet in 1878 entailed a new procession and the knights were Isidoor, Omer, Petrus and Frans Willems. They also celebrated the inauguration of the new lock in the

Dender The Dender () or Dendre () is a long river in Belgium, the right tributary of the river Scheldt. The confluence of the two rivers is in the Belgian town of Dendermonde. The Western or Little Dender is long and begins in Barry near Leuze-en-Hain ...

. When

Polydore de Keyser Sir Polydore de Keyser (13 December 1832 – 14 January 1898), was a lawyer and the first Roman Catholic since the Reformation to be elected Lord Mayor of London (October 1887 – November 1888). He was born in the Belgian city of Dendermonde, ...

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, visited his birth town Dendermonde in 1888, the Heemskinderen were Henri, Lodewijk, Gustaaf and Alfons Pieters. In 1899, the Ros Beiaard was ridden by Pieter, Adhemar, Lucinthe and Leo Dieltjens. They celebrated a new bridge over the

Scheldt The Scheldt ( ; ; ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to Old Englis ...

20th century

In 1914, the knights were Jan, Leo, Pieter and Edward De Bruyn. The celebration was the appointment of Leo Bruynincx as mayor of Dendermonde. In 1930, Dendermonde celebrated the centenary of the Belgian independence and the Horse was ridden by Henri, Jean, Pierre and Albert Van Damme. In 1952, Jozef, Rafaël, Pieter and Jan Bombay were the knights. The town hall existed for 500 years and this was celebrated. In 1958, because of the

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, the brothers Emiel, Albert, Jozef and Luc Leybaert rode the Ros. In 1975 the brothers Dirk, Wim, Boudewijn and Kris De Jonghe rode the Horse. In 1990 the honour befell the brothers Veldeman. In 2000 the brothers Roy, Nick, Ken and Dean Coppieters rode the Ros.

21st century

In 2010 the procession was held in May and the Van Damme brothers rode the horse. In 2022 the brothers Marteen, Wout, Stan and Lander Cassiman rode the horse. The procession was originally scheduled to be held on May 24, 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was postponed.

The ''Pijnders''

The guild of the ''Pijnders'' originated in the 14th century and had the monopoly on loading and unloading ships and cellars with wine and beer. Today, the ''Pijnders'' are the only persons allowed to carry the ''Ros Beiaard'' in the processions. The task of the ''Pijnders'' must not be underestimated, as they occupy a main function in the procession in carrying the horse. The movements of the horse have to be synchronized with the directions of the director. The ''Pijnders'' are divided into three groups consisting each of twelve carriers. Every group has its leader who has to set the pace and order the special movements.

The Hymn

The legend is told in the city hymn of Dendermonde. The hymn also refers to the rivalry with the neighbor city of Aalst who purportedly envy the Dendermonde for its horse. Ros Beiaard lied2

External links

Official Website
(in Dutch and French)

References

{{Reflist Dendermonde Belgian folklore Parades in Belgium Culture of Belgium Belgian legends Medieval legends Legendary horses