Caribbean Beat — January/February 2017 (#143)
A calendar of events; music, film, and book reviews; travel features; people profiles, and much more.
A calendar of events; music, film, and book reviews; travel features; people profiles, and much more.
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Binche, Belgium<br />
Near the border with France, the Belgian town of Binche is home to one<br />
of Europe’s most distinctive Carnivals, where hundreds of local men<br />
don identical costumes of wax masks, striped linen suits, and wooden<br />
clogs to represent the character of Gilles. Dancing to the beat of drums,<br />
the Gilles carry bunches of twigs, said to ward off evil. After assembling<br />
at the town hall, the Gilles trade their masks for towering headdresses<br />
of ostrich plumes, and throw oranges into the crowds of spectators <strong>—</strong><br />
tokens of good luck.
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