Saint Patrick´s Day Parade Route Ceremonies 2018
1.Pre-Parade Ceremony – Greening of Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
2. Brussels for Good-Luck Irish Ceremony
3.Presentation of Shamrock in Waterford–made crystal Ceremony
4. Door of Welcomes Ceremony
5. First Annual Irish Toast at the Fountain of the Two Lions
1.Pre-Parade Ceremony – Greening of Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
The Greening of TheGaleries Royales takes place for the first time on Friday
16 March 2018 between 21 and 21h30. The Greening will continue on the evenings of 17th March (Saint Patrick´s Day) and 18 March (Brussels Saint Patrick´s Day Parade).
The Parade arrives via Rue des Bouchers and stops under the Colonnade. Here the Pipe Band will play “ Amazing Grace´´. The Parade then turns right into Galerie de la Reine. On exiting Galeries Royales Saint - Hubert turns into Rue du Marche aux Herbes Rue duMarchéaux Herbes.
TheGaleries Royales Saint-Hubert(French) orKoninklijke Sint-Hubertusgalerijen(Dutch) is a glazed shoppingarcadeinBrusselsthat preceded other famous19 centuryshopping arcades such as theGalleria Vittorio Emanuele IIinMilanandThe PassageinSt Petersburg. Like them it has twin regular façades with distant origins inVasari's long narrow street-like courtyard of theUffizi,Florence, with glazed arcaded shop fronts separated bypilastersand two upper floors, all in anItalianate Cinquecentostyle, under an arched glass-paned roof with a delicatecast-ironframework.
The gallery consists of two major sections, each more than 100 meters in length (respectively called Galerie du Roi / Koningsgalerij, meaningKing's Gallery, and Galerie de la Reine / Koninginnegalerij, meaningQueen's Gallery), and a smaller side gallery (Galerie des Princes / Prinsengalerij, meaningGallery of the Princes). The main sections (King and Queen's Gallery) are separated by acolonnadeat the point where the Rue des Boucher’s / Beenhouwersstraat crosses the gallery complex.
At this point there is a discontinuity in the straight perspective of the gallery. This "bend" was introduced deliberately in order to make the long perspective of the gallery, with its repetition of arches, pilasters and windows, less tedious.
2. Brussels for Good Luck Irish Ceremony
Parade Grand Marshal leaves the Parade formation, moves to the Statue of Everard t'Serclaes in Rue Charles Buls, takes some Irish Shamrock from a Waterford- Irish hand made glass bowl and strokes the statute from head to toe, places the Shamrock back in the bowl and then and rubs his/her hand of the statue for luck.
Today, Brussels natives and tourists passing by the corner of the Grand Place and the rue Charles Buls don’t miss a chance to touch t’Serclaes. It is customary to make a wish as you touch him too, the most honourable of which is “to hope to come back to Brussels.” It is particularly recommended to touch his right hand for good luck. If you prefer a year of happiness, run your left hand from his forehead all the way to the head of the dog at his feet.
However on the Day of the Brussels Saint Patrick’s Day Parade of the Nations and Regions and after the adoration of the Irish Shamrock on the Statute, You are allowed to make an additional 3 wishes!
Background:
The word “shamrock” comes from the Irish seamrog, which is the diminutive form for the Irish word for clover, and translates roughly to “young clover.” Prior to Christianity and the work of Saint Patrick, the Druids believed that they could thwart evil spirits and danger by carrying a shamrock. A three-leaf shamrock would enable them to see the evil spirits and escape in time. A four-leaf clover was said to ward off bad luck and offer magical protection. The Druids helped establish the clover as a Celtic charm, and other folklore indicates clovers helped people see fairies and chase the little sprites.
Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland used a shamrock to teach principles of the Trinity to the masses. Since the 18th century, the shamrock has been a symbol of Ireland. The shamrock has remained a symbol of pride, hope and patriotism. Hence it symbolizes good luck and, better yet, it became such an important part of Irish culture. Be sure to spread the luck of the three wishes on the day of the Parade.
3. Presentation of Shamrock with Waterford–made crystal ceremony
The bowl of Irish Shamrock commissioned by Waterford Chamber of Commerce in Ireland and made by TheIrish Handmade Glass Company in Waterford, is presented to the Bourgmestre of Brussels Mr Philip Close on the review stand. The Bourgmestre is later invited to visit the Statue of Everard t'Serclaes, to rub the statute from head to toe to get his three wishes for the City of Brussels, Belgium and Europe.
Background:
Each year the Irish in Europe Association decide to give special attention to the promotion of a town,city of county in Ireland.
This year Waterford is selected and we start working on the promotion project from the Saint Patrick´s Day Parade weekend.
The Irish in Europe Association have selected Waterford this year to recognise the flying of the Irish Tricolour for the first time in Waterford in 1848,170 years ago and also taking into consideration the 100th anniversary of the ending of the WW1 , remembering John Condon -the Boy Soldier from Waterord,the arrival of the BelgianRefugees in Waterord etc.
The Irish Tricolour was first flown in Waterford City in Ireland at 33 The Mall, 170 years ago on 7thMarch 1848.
What will happen is that we will have a cultural exchange programme between Waterford & Brussels. We will bring some of our exhibitions already on tour in our Partner Regions in Ireland to Waterford. We will also see how best we can promote Waterford in Brussels and indeed in Europe. In all our years in Brussels, We have never seen a major promotion of Waterford in Belgium. We did have a mini-display of John Condon some years ago as part of an Irish inn Europe WW1 exhibition.
To mark the commemoration of this historic event, Gerald Hurley Chief Executive of Waterford Chamber of Commerce arranged the commissioning a glass shamrock bowl made The Irish Handmade Glass Company for @PhilippeClose Bourgmestre de la @VilleBruxelles // Burgemeester van de @StadBrussel // Mayor of the @CityBrussels at #BrusselsStPatricksDayParade on Sunday 18 March 2018.
We look forward to having the Irish Trilcolor carried through the streets of Brussels in the historic centre for the 10th Annual Brussels Saint Patrick´s Day Parade of the Nations & Regions. Ciarán O'Riordan,Parade Secretary will be the Parade Official Flagbearer for the 2018 Parade.
4. Door of Welcomes Ceremony
The ´Door of Welcomes´ ceremony aims to highlight that Brussels is a City of Welcomes. With a population highly international, multilingual and multicultural the Brussels region is home to 180 nationalities, with 108 different languages spoken, and more than 55% of residents were not born Belgian. In ancient times the city gates formed a part of city fortifications for protection against the enemy. The gateways of ancient walled cities and the open spaces near them as in Brussels were popular meeting places for the people.
Today in more peaceful times, the Grand Place remains a popular meeting place for residents and visitors alike. The Brussels City Council remains entrusted with the protection and social inclusion of all its residents. The Brussels Saint Patrick´s Day Parade of the Nations aims to be an integration event and a representative cultural gathering of all the 180 nationalities in Brussels, to bring all people together, to ´Wear the Green ´and be Irish for the Day.
The symbolic knocking on the City Hall door by the Grand Marshal with the Rathmullan Bō Staff and the call-out with the cermonial request:
" We seek entry and the protection of the City of Brussels for all the Irish and for all those who wear the green. "
This is in recognition of Brussels as the Flemish, Belgian and European Union Capital that welcomes people from all walks of life, to live, work, study, visit or seek refuge as the Irish did in 1607 inwhat is now Belgium. The symbolic re-enactment of gaining entry to the City of Brussels reinforces the long history of relations between Ireland and Belgium and also symbolises the struggles of all the emigrants and missionaries that left Ireland to overcome adversity and hardship in the true pioneering and missionary zeal that reflects the spirit and creativity of the Irish people down through the centuries and up to this present day.
5. First Annual Irish Toast at the Fountain of the Two Lions
This Toast will be given in five languages-the official languages of Ireland and Belgium, Irish, English, French ,Dutch & German.
The Toast will be: To the Health of the Bourgmestre, to the prosperity of Belgium and Ireland and to Peace in Europe.
A jug is filled from the flowing potable water from the fountain and served with Irish whiskey.
Irish Whiskey mixed with the Brussels Water makes the finest Water you ever saw.
The Toastmasters will be from the Toastmaster Bilingual Clubs that have been started in Brussels: Claddagh Toastmasters Irish/English , Berlaymont Toastmasters - French / English , Atomium Toastmasters Dutch / English and the Blackforest Toastmasters –German /English .
Background:
The Irish in Europe Association are patrons of the Brussels Bilingual Toastmaster Club Development Programme that has been supported by the King Baudouin Foundation. It is aimed to have 25 bilingual Clubs in Brussels. The whole object is to harness the languages spoken in Brussels and use them as a means of integration and not as barriers.
The Toastmasters Bilingual Club Mission Statement for Brussels is:
“Toastmasters International is a non-profit, non-political, non-religious Educational Voluntary Organisation Promoting Communication, Leadership and Fostering Integration in Brussels through the medium of Bilingual clubs with multicultural memberships”
The Toastmaster bilingual Club programme commenced in Brussels in 2005. The first Bilingual Club that chartered in 2006 was Claddagh Toastmasters of Brussels. The Claddagh Toastmasters (Irish /English) served as a model for the creation of other bilingual clubs in Brussels and subsequently in Europe. Over 750 persons seeking to develop their skills in public speaking, planning, leadership training, and managing and managing their time have participated in the bilingual club programme in Brussels since 2005. Armada (Spanish), Dacia (Romanian) and Aperitivo (Italian) Clubs have also been formed. It is envisaged that the following clubs will start in the coming years subject to demand, Gdansk Toastmasters of Brussels (Polish/ English), Maple Leaf Toastmasters (French/English with a Canadian Ethos), Tolstoy (Russian/English), Great Wall Toastmasters of Brussels (Chinese/English) Rising Sun (Japanese/English), Gibran Toastmasters of Brussels (Arabic/English) and many more.
1