Meyboom

According to tradition, the celebration commemorates a victory of Brussels over the nearby city of Leuven in 1213. The Companions of St Lawrence, a city guild, came to the aid of Brussels' inhabitants and vigorously repelled the aggressor. Grateful, the Duke of Brabant at the time (Henri I of Brabant), granted the status of corporation to the guild and gave it the right to plant henceforth a tree of joy or Meyboom. In honour of the new corporation, the date of the plantation was fixed to 9 August, the eve of St Lawrence's Day. To respect the tradition, the tree of joy must thus imperatively be planted before 5 p.m. on 9 August.

In 1974, a group of men from Leuven called The Men Of 1929 managed to find out which tree Brussels had earmarked as their Meyboom. During the night of 8 August, the men cut down the tree and transported it to Leuven, where they planted it in front of the city hall. Brussels, however, chose to ignore what had happened and cut down another tree. Ever since, the two cities have been involved in a friendly rivalry to decide who has the "real" Meyboom.

Since 2008, the Meyboom has been recognised as an expression of intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, as part of the binational listing of 'Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France'.[2]

The tree is designated by the city's Plantation Department and "chosen" by the Companions of St Lawrence in the Sonian Forest, in the outskirts of Brussels. According to tradition, it must weigh at least 600 kg (1,300 lb), measure 12–13 m (39–43 ft) in height and be leafy. It is cut and then transported by Bûûmdroegers ("tree bearers"), through the municipalities of Schaerbeek, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode and the City of Brussels. At 1 p.m., a tribute is paid to the deceased Companions.

The procession then forms at the corner of Rue du Marais/Broekstraat and Rue des Comédiens/Komediantenstraat (near the local brotherhood of the Companions, at 37, rue des Sables/Zandstraat), and sets off along a fixed route: Rue du Fossé aux Loups/Wolvengracht, Place de la Monnaie/Muntplein, Rue des Fripiers/Kleerkopersstraat, Rue de Tabora/Taborastraat, Rue du Midi/Zuidstraat, Rue du Lombard/Lombardstraat, Rue de l'Étuve/Stoofstraat, Rue de l'Amigo/Vruntstraat and the Grand Place.

At 2.45 p.m., the procession returns from the Grand Place via Rue Chair et Pain/Vlees-en-Broodstraat, Rue du Marché aux Herbes/Grasmarkt, Rue de la Fourche/Greepstraat, Rue de l’Écuyer/Schildknaapsstraat, Rue Montagne aux Herbes Potagères/Warmoesberg, and finally returns to the corner of Rue des Comédiens/Komediantenstraat and Rue du Marais/Broekstraat around 4.30 p.m. Along the way, small branches of the tree are distributed, supposed to bring good fortune for the year to come. The culmination is the plantation itself, which must take place before 5 p.m. The tree is in fact not really planted but stuck in the ground and removed the next day.

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  A halt in Schaerbeek for the procession of the Meyboom in 2008
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  Giants of the Meyboom of Brussels
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  Giants of the Meyboom of Brussels

• History of Brussels
• Culture of Belgium