The Miracle of 1511

Last updated November 08, 2024

The Miracle of 1511 (Dutch : De sneeuwpoppen van 1511) was a festival in Brussels in which the locals built approximately 110 satirical snowmen. It is estimated that more than half of the snowmen portrayed pornographic or sexual characters.^[1] Examples of snowmen built included a snownun that was seducing a man, a snowman and a snowwoman having sex in front of the town fountain and a naked snowboy urinating into the mouth of a drunken snowman. There were also snow unicorns, snow mermaids, a snow dentist, and snow prostitutes enticing people into the city's red light district.^[2] Among the political snowmen created were "a snow virgin with a unicorn in her lap", that was built in front of the ducal palace in Coudenberg, the home of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. This was in protest to him being absent and instead living with his aunt Margaret of Austria in Malines.^[3]

Before the Miracle, there had been six weeks of cold weather (a more common occurrence back then). Combined with mass population growth and a large wealth discrepancy between the peasants and the ruling House of Habsburg, the locals decided to use the snowmen as a form of protest. The different socioeconomic classes each constructed different kinds of snowman. As a result, the poor would destroy snowmen built by the ruling classes.^[2] Eventually, the Miracle concluded when the snow thawed during the warm following spring, which led to flooding in Brussels. Later that month, when the water was all gone, the King of France donated 1000 gold coins to the town. ^[3]

Dutch poet Jan Smeken wrote about the Miracle in his poem "Dwonder van claren ijse en snee" [The miracle of pure ice and snow].^[4]

Related Research Articles

Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital of Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country and is a part of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community, but is separate from the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region, located less than 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the south. Historically Dutch-speaking, Brussels saw a language shift to French from the late 19th century. Nowadays, the Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual in French and Dutch, although French is the majority language and lingua franca. Brussels is also increasingly becoming multilingual. English is spoken widely and many migrants and expatriates speak other languages as well.

Ghent is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the province of East Flanders, and the third largest in the country, after Brussels and Antwerp. It is a port and university city.

The Hague is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam, The Hague has been described as the country's de facto capital since the time of the Dutch Republic.

Lede is a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders, in the Denderstreek near the cities of Ghent, Aalst and Dendermonde.

Dilbeek is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Dilbeek proper, Groot-Bijgaarden, Itterbeek, Schepdaal, Sint-Martens-Bodegem, and Sint-Ulriks-Kapelle. Dilbeek is located just outside the Brussels-Capital Region in the Pajottenland, hence the local name Poort van het Pajottenland.

Grimbergen is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium, 10 km (6.2 mi) north of the capital Brussels. The municipality comprises the towns of Beigem, Grimbergen, Humbeek, and Strombeek-Bever. In 2017, Grimbergen had a total population of 37,030. The total area is 38.61 km² (14.91 sq mi), which gives a population density of 959/km² (2,480/sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wemmel</span> Municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

Wemmel is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium. The municipality only comprises the town of Wemmel proper. On January 1, 2018, Wemmel had a total population of 16,347. The total area is 8.74 km² (3.37 sq mi), which gives a population density of 1,870/km² (4,800/sq mi).

Racoon are a Dutch rock band, formed in 1997. Their first big appearance was at the 1999 Noorderslagfestival. The first album, Till Monkeys Fly, appeared in January 2000, produced by Michael Schoots. The first single, "Feel Like Flying", became a hit and got a lot of airplay on the Dutch radio station 3FM. The band's biggest hit so far came in 2005, when its single "Love You More" reached number three on the Dutch music charts.

The Belgian Revolution was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium.

The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, usually shortened to the Cathedral of St. Gudula or St. Gudula by locals, is a medieval Catholic cathedral in central Brussels, Belgium. It is dedicated to Saint Michael and Saint Gudula, the patron saints of the City of Brussels, and is considered to be one of the finest examples of Brabantine Gothic architecture.

Lake Superior State University is a public college in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It enrolls approximately 2,000 students. Due to its proximity to the Canadian border, LSSU has many Canadian students and offers joint programs with Sault College and Algoma University in the twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada across the St. Marys River. In a sign of this close relationship with its international neighbor, LSSU flies both the Canadian and United States flags on its campus.

<i>Frosty the Snowman</i> (TV special) 1969 Christmas TV special

Frosty the Snowman is a 1969 American animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. It is the first television special featuring the character Frosty the Snowman. The special first aired on December 7, 1969, on the CBS television network in the United States, airing immediately after the fifth showing of A Charlie Brown Christmas; both scored high ratings. The special aired annually for the network's Christmas and holiday season until 2023. In 2024, NBC acquired the broadcast rights to the special.

Events from the year 1511 in art.

The Francization of Brussels refers to the evolution, over the past two centuries, of this historically Dutch-speaking city into one where French has become the majority language and lingua franca. The main cause of this transition was the rapid, compulsory assimilation of the Flemish population, amplified by immigration from France and Wallonia.

A snowman is an anthropomorphic snow sculpture of a man often built in regions with sufficient snowfall and is a common winter tradition. In many places, typical snowmen consist of three large snowballs of different sizes with some additional accoutrements for facial and other features. Due to the sculptability of snow, there is also a wide variety of other styles. Common accessories include branches for arms and a smiley face made of stones, with a carrot used for a nose. Clothing, such as a hat or scarf, may be included.

The following is a timeline of the history of Brussels, Belgium.

The Belgian National Movement was a major group in the resistance in German-occupied Belgium during World War II with politically centre-right leanings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernestine Eckstein</span> American gay rights activist (1941–1992)

Ernestine Eckstein was an African-American woman who helped steer the United States Lesbian and Gay rights movement during the 1960s. She was a leader in the New York chapter of Daughters of Bilitis (DOB). Her influence helped the DOB move away from negotiating with medical professionals and towards tactics of public demonstrations. Her understanding of, and work in, the Civil Rights Movement lent valuable experience on public protest to the lesbian and gay movement. Eckstein worked among activists such as Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, Barbara Gittings, Franklin Kameny, and Randy Wicker. In the 1970s she became involved in the black feminist movement, in particular the organization Black Women Organized for Action (BWOA).

Olaf (<i>Frozen</i>) Fictional character from the Frozen franchise

Olaf is a fictional character in Disney's Frozen franchise. He first appeared in the Walt Disney Animation Studios animated film Frozen (2013). At the beginning of the film, Olaf is an inanimate snowman created by Elsa and Anna in their childhood. He then reappears in the film as an anthropomorphic snowman created by Elsa's ice powers, and helps Anna and Kristoff in their journey to find Elsa. He later appears in other related Frozen media, including the sequel Frozen II (2019), and serves as the central character in the featurette Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017), the short film Once Upon a Snowman (2020), and the series of shorts Olaf Presents (2021). He is voiced by Josh Gad in most of his appearances.

The Yeti is an ape-like creature purported to inhabit the Himalayan mountain range in Asia. In Western popular culture, the creature is commonly referred to as the Abominable Snowman. It has regularly been depicted in popular culture of the region as well as in films, literature, music, video games pertaining to the region.

References

↑ Eckstein, Bob (13 December 2018). "The Raunchy, Comical, Political Snowman Invasion of 1511". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
1 2 Harkin, James; Murray, Andrew; Ptaszynski, Anna; Schreiber, Dan (30 October 2015). "No Such Thing as a Fish: Episode 85 – No Such Thing As Michaelangelo's Snowman". QI (Podcast). Retrieved 30 October 2015.
1 2 Eckstein, Bob (2007). The History of the Snowman: From the Ice Age to the Flea Market. Simon Spotlight Entertainment. pp. 123–124. ISBN 978-1-4169-4066-1. LCCN 2007024820. OCLC 145396493. OL 9740900W.
↑ Pleij, Herman (1990). "Urban Elites in Search of a Culture: The Brussels Snow Festival of 1511". New Literary History. 21 (3): 629–647. doi:10.2307/469131. JSTOR 469131.

This Belgium-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Eckstein, Bob (13 December 2018). "The Raunchy, Comical, Political Snowman Invasion of 1511". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 9 March 2020.

[No_Such_Thing_as_a_Fish-2] 1 2 Harkin, James; Murray, Andrew; Ptaszynski, Anna; Schreiber, Dan (30 October 2015). "No Such Thing as a Fish: Episode 85 – No Such Thing As Michaelangelo's Snowman". QI (Podcast). Retrieved 30 October 2015.

[Eckstein-3] 1 2 Eckstein, Bob (2007). The History of the Snowman: From the Ice Age to the Flea Market. Simon Spotlight Entertainment. pp. 123–124. ISBN 978-1-4169-4066-1. LCCN 2007024820. OCLC 145396493. OL 9740900W.

[4] Pleij, Herman (1990). "Urban Elites in Search of a Culture: The Brussels Snow Festival of 1511". New Literary History. 21 (3): 629–647. doi:10.2307/469131. JSTOR 469131.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]