Thread by @nomadic_sanjee

Manneken Pis is Brussels most beloved little guy and Belgium’s biggest tourist attraction. Just like the Eiffel Tower is to Paris & the Statue of Liberty is to New York City, Manneken Pis is to Brussels its most precious possession. It is the symbol of 🇧🇪Belgium.1/
#BelgianHumour

When a capital city chooses such a symbol to display to the rest of the world, they must either have a strange cultural heritage or a great sense of humour,or both.For Brussels citizens and all previous generations who have lived in Brussels, Manneken Pis is a symbol of Zwanze.2/

Zwanze is a word in Brusseleir (the dialect of Brussels) that expresses not only humour but also a way of life. It is the art of telling funny stories, that are not entirely true, slightly exaggerated, where one makes fun of themselves and its audience at the same time.3/

Manneken Pis or "Petit Julien" means little boy in Brusseleir. The first Manneken Pis statue was built in 1388. It was made out of stone and used to be a drinking fountain. The version displayed to the public today is from 1619 and was built by Jérôme Duquesnoy. 4/

It all started in the 18th century when on one drunken night some French soldiers stole the statue of Manneken Pis as a prank. King Louis XV, who was governing over Brussels at the time, got really upset and ordered the statue to be returned.  5/

To teach his soldiers a lesson, he dressed up Manneken Pis in a golden outfit & knighted him “Order of St Louis”. From then on, French soldiers had to salute the statue every time they passed by it.This is exactly what’s cool about being a king, you can do whatever you want. 6/

From drunken soldiers to drunken students, it is still of tradition today for Manneken Pis to get kidnapped during Saint-V (Saint-Vehaegen) every year, a celebration day of student folklore and beer fest. Manneke Pis also gets a special outfit some times now. 7/

Maybe to honour the trend once started by King Louis XV, the City of Brussels still dresses Manneken Pis in cute costumes a couple of times a month. The city even employs a tailor whose sole job is to create costumes for that little man.8/

Talking about Belgian humour... Belgium sure knew how to respond to Manneken Pis's increasing popularity in all seriousness. Sister Jeanneke Pis, located next to the infamous beer bar Delirium was made in 1985 & erected in 1987. 9/

The dog Zinneke Pis, who is forever lifting his leg onto a Brussels street pole is another part of Bxls humour.Zinneke Pis was installed on the corner of Rue des Chartreux & Rue du Vieux Marché aux grains in 1998.This is the ultimate Belgian humour. 10/

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