How one story changed an entire city

I had a great time with my family and friends earlier this week. We celebrated Carnaval in the city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch (Netherlands), renamed Oeteldonk for the occasion. Did you know that the origin of Carnaval-like celebrations goes way back to ancient European festivals by the Greeks and Romans? It was a reversal ritual where social roles were reversed and norms were suspended, a rite of passage from darkness to light, from winter to summer. Eventually, when the Christian Church tried to ban this ancient folk culture, people in ‘s-Hertogenbosch got creative. In 1882, they self-organized and devised a new story to refine their version of Carnaval. Every year, the city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch would transform into the village of Oeteldonk, referencing the city’s foundation on sandbanks in the local marshlands. Social ranks and hierarchy would cease to exist for three full days, and everybody would be equal as peasants. Oeteldonk has its own tricolore (red, white, and yellow) and even an anthem in dialect. And so the story of Oeteldonk was born. <a href="https://scrumpydad.medium.com/how-an-ancient-story-changed-an-entire-city-8bf3837adaaf">Website</a>