Category: belgium

Hallowed inspiration for bedeviled costumes

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articulated demon-scarer cathedral museum of leon

Above: A 17th-century articulated “espantadiablo,” Cathedral Museum of Leon, Spain

The devil-scarer or demon-scarer is part of the repertoire of figures and amulets that, due to their ugliness, represented evil. They were used in exorcism rites…. This devil-scarer… is believed to have come from a female convent and was used as a ‘weapon’ to scare away or exorcise the carnal desires of the novices and nuns.”

“The devil-scarer against female sexual desire,” Ana Gaitero, Diario de Leon, January 24, 2023

If seeking a terrifying look this Halloween, dressing as the caped crusader found in the Cathedral Museum of Leon, Spain, with a milky white stare and threatening toothless scream, would more than accomplish your goal.

Critics of American Halloween customs complain frightening ghoulish and violent costumes defile the religious origins of All Hallowed Eve, a holy day preceding All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. But it is not difficult to see how costumes developed from traditional religious portrayals of good and evil through the centuries.

Skelton costumes have become ubiquitous. Why not seek out fresh inspiration for costumes in centuries-old religious art? One could go noble by dressing as Saint George slaying the dragon.

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Belgium: Art Nouveau and its ivory elephant in the room

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art nouveau details on 1901 maison saint-cyr brussels
Illustration of a colorful building with a unique boat feature, designed for a Belgian postage stamp, labeled with 'BELGIE' and 'F. SMET-VERHAS antwerpen-ans.'

Above: Ornate art nouveau details on the 1901 facade of Maison Saint-Cyr designed by architect Gustave Strauven (1878-1919) in Brussels.

I do not want to miss a good chance of getting us a slice of this magnificent African cake.”

King Leopold II of Belgium (1835-1909)

With its sensual plant motifs and curvilinear features softening the severity of brick buildings, for me, Art Nouveau always represented a bit of a whimsical revolt against the expected. The elevation of crafts in design refreshing after classical rigidity, similar to women beginning to abandon their whalebone corsets. Basically, encountering art nouveau always makes me smile. And Belgium is regarded as its birthplace.

In 1884, the silver-tongued King Leopold II (1835-1909) managed to convince the leaders of a 14-nation conference in Berlin that he, individually, should be trusted to manage the civilization of the Congo and to prevent expansion of the slave trade. Maybe it was simply a matter of semantics: slave trade is not the same as forced labor?

Despite bestowing the name for the vast territory of The Congo Free State, King Leopold allowed his new fiefdom no free trade. All exports from the Congo were required to pass through his trading companies. Essentially, a personal monopoly controlling incredible resources, and, perfect timing, with rubber suddenly in high demand.

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Postcard from Brussels, Belgium: Mystical gardens of Malines’ Beguines

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Enclosed garden showing Daniel in the lion's den
A Belgian postage stamp featuring a depiction of the city of Mechelen, showcasing its architecture and bells.

Above: “Daniel in the Lions’ Den,” with Saint Peter on the left and Saint John on the right, 1500-1550, Hof van Busleyden Museum, Mechelen (Malines), Belgium.

There are among us women whom we have no idea what to call, ordinary women or nuns, because they live neither in the world nor out of it.”

Guibert of Tournai (1200-1284), 1274, via “Sisters Between: Gender and the Medieval Beguines,” Abby Stoner, Kenyon College

The Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music might have wondered what she was going to do about Maria, but that’s nothing compared to the befuddlement of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in the 13th century figuring out how to control the Beguine Sisters.

Limited options were permitted women in the medieval ages: subjugate themselves in marriage or enter a cloistered convent for life. Those limited choices are what attracted women to voluntarily cluster together in houses, forming their own communities on the outskirts of towns – beguinages. They donned habits similar to those of nuns and committed themselves to chastity, albeit not necessarily a lifetime commitment.

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