Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Manneken Pis Day


You've probably heard of Brussels' Manneken Pis, or "Little Man Urinating," statue. He's the miniature boy who's not ashamed to do his business on a perch in the corner of a quaint Belgian street. But did you know that he has costumes? Yes, costumes. The Bruxellois love their peeing statue so much that they've bestowed upon him a wardrobe whose options outshine my own. Manneken Pis has an outfit for every occasion: a red Santa Claus suit and hat for Christmas, country-specific clothing to celebrate national holidays, and a white, bejeweled getup to honor Elvis Presley's birthday. There's even a website that maintains a photo gallery of his costumes, including a calendar of the days he can be expected to be wearing them.


I recently paid a visit to the world's most famous peeing boy and happily discovered he had gotten dressed up for the occasion. In fact, the crowd of beer-drinking, instrument-playing and anthem-singing Belgians who stood around him had also gotten dressed up. What's more, they were all wearing identical (full-sized) versions of his red and blue cape/hat ensemble. I didn't completely understand what I had stumbled across until I spotted a menu chalkboard declaring it to be Manneken Pis Day. I knew they gave him costumes, but I had no idea they also gave him his own day. That's one luckly little statue.

6 comments:

Erin and Lou said...

That is really cool

Anonymous said...

I think it's a really cool monument - finally one that's not boring!

Tanya said...

@Erin and Lou, @Zhu, I like how you both used "cool" to describe the Manneken Pis. He is cool! At first you're thinking "I'm looking at a peeing boy...why?" But then, you just have fun with it. And everyone there is in a good mood and having fun too. What's not to love?

Francis Bell said...

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Melina said...

hahahah. but you know there is a girl version of this statue that no one pays attention to? I remember we saw it that one time we visited Brussels together..

James Clark said...

When I first saw Mannekin Pis he was dressed as Elvis. I also happened to be there during during Flowercarpet, which is only on every 2 years. I had never even heard of it before, but it made the Grote Markt even more spectacular.