Cats Parade and Throwing of the Cats

The origin of this festival goes back to the days when cats were employed to control the rodent population in the magnificent medieval Cloth Hall of Ypres. When the stocks of cloth were sold, the cats were no longer required and so were thrown down from the highest belfries to the streets below. This tradition of cat-throwing has been continued to the present day, although the actual cats were replaced with cat dolls from 1817. The job of “casting down” falls to the jester, a key figure among the parades and marching bands that now form the mainstay of the celebration. The theme of the parade is cats, and they come in all shapes and sizes, most of them enormous, built of papier-mâché. A great many participants, some on horseback, are dressed in medieval costume and there are strong elements of folklore and pageantry in this big event