An Homage to Manneken Pis

My love for all things Belgian may have begun when my friend, Judith,  tipped me off to something I needed to see. Something I could not miss.  In fact, something that made tourist Belgium what it was.  I suspected beer, chocolate or beer--in that order.  I was skeptical when she told me that it involved the city's iconic statue, Manneken Pis.  

From head to toe, Manneken Pis is a 61cm (24 inches for you Americans) bronzed, naked, pissing boy guarded behind a very spiky guardrail.  His legend spans 6 centuries and he's been known as savouir, lost boy, war hero and firefighter.  He's become something of a world icon and tourists across the world flock to his statue home almost religiously.  I'm not 100% certain what it says about a city whose famous icon is a tiny, bronzed pissing statue, but I suppose it's not my place to ponder.  

Up close (ish), his height is remarkably underwhelming. And the hordes of tourists don't make a lot of sense. But this is where Judith's tip came in. We bypassed the crowds and headed to the Brussels City Museum in Grand Place.  For 5 Euros each, we caught a glimpse into the history of the city (which was, you know, history-like) and then a more amusing glimpse of the third floor where they stored...all the Manneken's costumes over the years.

Because it turns out it's more than just a little tradition that, over the years, visiting diplomats would come for their EC meetings in Brussels and bring a little pissing outfit as a token of their gratitude.  The statue was then dressed up for various holidays--both national and international.  And in this way, Mr. Pis's wardrobe grew and grew.  It rivals any fashionista in the modern world.

Obviously, a wardrobe this extensive cannot be self-managed. Thus, the Friends of Manneken Pis, a non-profit association, manage his collection of over 800 costumes.  Interestingly, they also review hundreds of designs submitted each year narrowing down the costumes he will wear that year.

And oh the range:

From an African Nation

And one of the Pacific Islands

From the Middle East

And North Africa

Even from Canada, eh! 

From carnivale-era Brazil 

And Blighty!

Other fun facts:  1. Mr. Pis has been stolen, and returned, several times.  2. From time to time, the statue is hooked up to a keg of beer and passersby are given free drinks.  Win.

Rosa and I laughed and laughed.  5 euros well spent!