Mannekan Pis a symbol of how Julianske saved Brussels

Mannekan Pis a symbol of how Julianske saved Brussels from enemy attack

We had gone to Belgium, the capital of Brussels on a special day. It was Mannekan Pis’s Birthday! Yes.. what more could we have wanted! We were there on an important day. The whole area of Grand Palace in Belgium was celebrating his 40th birthday.

We were so happy. That day, Mannekan Pis was wearing a beautiful birthday dress. The whole structure was guarded by railings and a fountain below.

I was full of emotions to see the little boy. One of the legend states that, in the 14th century, Brussels was under a severe threat by foreign powers. The city had held its ground for some time, enemies had made a strategy to place explosive charges at the city walls. A little boy named Julianske happened to be spying on them, as they were preparing. He urinated on the burning fuse and thus saved the city.

40th Birthday of Mannekan Pis

Thats a touching story. The whole area goes ga ga about it. The boy’s curly hair and his innocence steals hearts of millions. The statue is very beautiful. One can observe real expressions in it.

There are branded shops all around, restaurants, Belgium chocolate shops and so much more in Grand Palace! The whole area was very happening and crowded with tourists.

Grand Palace Square

We were having our lunch at Grand Palace Square where all of a sudden we started hearing of band. Oh wow! Soon, we saw a parade with a priest and the priestess and people moving along with the little Mannekan Pis.

Julianske in parade

It was a beautiful procession. We totally loved it. Kids started dancing with it. It was a different experience in Belgium for us as we were seeing a live procession outside India for the first time.

Birthday Parade

It was overall a nice experience to hang around specially on Mannekan Pis’s 40th Birthday.

Nidhi KM

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About the Author: Nidhi KM

Founder of Viharin is Nidhi K M who is an avid traveller. She has visited multiple destinations across Europe, U.S.A, Mauritius, Maldives and countries in Asia. After a short stint as a travel blogger, Nidhi has started Viharin.com in November, 2014. In the journey so far, Nidhi has been instrumental in promoting various destinations of the world like London, Netherlands, Paris, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Vatican City, Singapore, Indonesia, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, Vietnam, Combodia and many more. With her efforts , Nidhi has taken Viharin.com to one of the top interesting travel blogs of the world. She has been mentioned in DLF City Magazine, Newspatrolling, Ayurveda Sutra, recognized as Guest of Honour by Institute of Technology and Science, Ghaziabad and more. Nidhi worked with American Express as a Manager. She has over 11 years of experience in the domain of Customer Relationship Management. She has received many rewards and recognitions for exceeding Organizational goals. Nidhi is supported by her husband who is a Consultant Radiologist by profession and amateur photographer with special interest in wildlife. Her immediately family also supports Nidhi in destination promotions. After schooling from Bal Bharti Public School, Delhi, Nidhi did Mathematics honours from Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University and Masters in Information and Technology from Institute of Technology and Science.

8 Comments

Priyanka Patwari July 25, 2018 at 1:53 am - Reply
This is really beautiful procession. I watch a youtube video and i like it so much.. i like the Mannekan beautiful birthday dress.
Jiya B July 25, 2018 at 5:31 am - Reply
wow It must be thrillig to watch parade I am sure. Brussels is a no=ice place to visit. I have heard a lot abd would love to plan a vacation with my family there.
Khadija July 25, 2018 at 11:17 am - Reply
This is such an interesting story about the boy. I am going to share this story with my friends. Never heard anything like this before. And the place looks beautiful
Deepa July 25, 2018 at 4:13 pm - Reply
Didn’t know about this story. Thanks for introducing and sharing it to us. Good to know about historical events.
Dipika Singh July 25, 2018 at 4:20 pm - Reply
This place has such thrilling historical heritage, I had no clue about the tiny boy’s statue on top. Thanks for sharing the information with us.
Anamika Debnath July 25, 2018 at 5:30 pm - Reply
such an emotional story about the boy. This place looks so beautiful. I would like to visit this place.
Preety tiwari July 25, 2018 at 5:50 pm - Reply
Its truly a heart touching story, I can feel the emotions of the crowd over there!! Loved your beautiful pics it seems you had a great time.
- Nidhi KM July 26, 2018 at 5:16 am - Reply
  INdeed! The statue is full of emotions. I am sure all mothers can feel for him!