Kermesse (festival)

Kermesse in the Slovácko village Bohuslavice u Kyjova (Czech Republic, 2009) - a procession through the village is led by a "stárek" (festival leader) wearing a national costume, yellow deer-skin trousers

Flemish Kermess by David Teniers the Younger (1652)
Oil on canvas, 157 x 221 cm, Royal Museums of Fine Arts, Brussels

Kermesse, or kermis, or kirmess, 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, in Central Europe and also in northern France, and were accompanied by feasting, dancing and sports of all kinds.

History

Arguably the first kermesse was an annual parade to mark the events of the Brussels massacre of 1370 (some sources say 1369) in Brussels, when the entire Jewish population of the city were burnt alive or expelled after being accused of profaning a basket of communion hosts, which were said to have bled when stabbed. According to one source, those Jewish residents who could prove that they did not profane the hosts were not killed, but were merely banished from Brussels.^[1]

These festivities still survive in the form of funfairs, while the old allegorical representations are now uncommon. Whereas nearly every village has a kermis once or twice a year, the large Zuidfoor or Foire du Midi (South Fair) of Brussels and Sinksenfoor (Whitsun Fair) of Antwerp attract many visitors during several weeks. The funfair on the Vrijdagmarkt in Ghent coincides with the 10-day long Gentse Feesten (Ghent Festivities) which are held across the entire inner city around the 21st of July (Belgian national holiday).

The standard Dutch language expression Vlaamse kermis (Flemish kermesse) once referred to the local village kermesse (as pronounced in the former County of Flanders) though its modern usage is mainly limited to privately organized fairs open to the public, often for fund-raising, such as by Catholic schools or youth organisations in the Flemish Region.

The crew of the Dutch ship Gelderland used the names "griff-eendt" and "kermisgans" for the dodo in 1598, in reference to fowl fattened for the Kermesse festival, which was held the day after they anchored on Mauritius.^[2]

Impact on other languages and cultures

Village Feast by David Teniers the Elder, Accademia Carrara, Bergamo

The word Kermess (generally in the form Kirmess) is applied in the United States to any entertainment, especially one organized in the interest of charity. The Dutch-American Village of Little Chute, Wisconsin, has celebrated Kermis annually since 1981. The Wallonian settlements in Door County, Wisconsin, also celebrate a "Kermis" with traditional Belgian dishes and events. Another American polity that celebrates this holiday is La Kermesse of Biddeford, Maine. The International School of Indiana, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, holds an annual Kermesse celebration with refreshments, carnival games and face-painting to celebrate the ending of the school year for their pre-elementary and elementary pupils. In the City of Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada), a city with a limited Dutch heritage, kermesses have been held since 1907 as fundraisers for the local children's hospital. The École Française de Vancouver (ÉFIV) in North Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada), holds an annual kermesse with games, food, a pétanque tournament and community participation.^[3]

The term has also had an influence on Ibero-American culture. Specifically in Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile, "kermeses" are held by churches and schools to raise funds. Many activities take place including "tombolas" where people buy tickets for drawings that always have awards from very minor items to bigger awards. In Brazil "quermesses" are usually held by churches during the early weeks of winter and in celebration of the widely popular Festa Junina festivities.

The word also entered the Belarusian language as "кiрмаш" (kirmash) in the meaning of "fair".

In Lithuanian language "kermošius" (kermoshius) means a fair after the mass in the church.

In Romanian "chermeză" means party or banquet.

In Italian "kermesse" means party.

In the Turkish language "kermes" is a sale of ladies' handiwork for charity.

See also

• Fiesta patronal
• Carnival
• Event planning
• Fair
• Festival
• Fête
• Funfair
• Hot dog day
• Carl Schurz, Reminiscences, Vol. I, Chap. II, pp. 44–45, has a paragraph where he recalls the tradition of the kirmess in early 19th century Rhenish Prussia.

Notes

1. Curiosities of Popular Customs and of Rites, Ceremonies, Observances, and Miscellaneous Antiquities: and of Rites, Ceremonies, Observances, and Miscellaneous Antiquities By William Shepard Walsh,Published by J.B. Lippincott Co., 1897.
2. Cheke, A. S.; Hume, J. P. (2008). Lost Land of the Dodo: an Ecological History of Mauritius, Réunion & Rodrigues. T. & A. D. Poyser. ISBN 978-0-7136-6544-4.
3. "École Française de Vancouver".

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "^{article name needed}". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. (1911). Itself naming as source :
  Boulger, Demetrius C., Belgian Life in Town and Country (1904).
• "Kermis van Brussel - Zuidkermis" (in Dutch). / "Foire du Midi 2007 : davantage de convivialité" (in French). 2007. With short history : "Beknopte historiek" (PDF) (in Dutch). Archived from the original (pdf) on 2007-09-27. / "Aperçu historique" (PDF) (in French). (assumedly 2005) — Both texts in each language : City of Brussels. Archived from the original (pdf) on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
• Brinks, Herbert J. "Dutch Americans". Retrieved 2007-08-08. One village, Little Chute, however, does continue to promote its Dutch ethnicity with a mid-September celebration (kermis), featuring a Dutch-costume parade, games, and craft exhibits.

External links

• "Kermis van Brussel - Zuidkermis" (in Dutch). / "Foire du Midi 2007 : davantage de convivialité" (in French). 2007. With short history : "Beknopte historiek" (PDF) (in Dutch). Archived from the original (pdf) on 2007-09-27. / "Aperçu historique" (PDF) (in French). (assumedly 2005) — Both texts in each language : City of Brussels. Archived from the original (pdf) on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
• Old photographs of the Brussels fair (collection Jean-Pierre Roels) : "C'était au temps où bruxelles brussellait" (in French). Roels, Jean-Pierre (on blogspot). Retrieved 2007-08-07.