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La Fête des Louches
"Louche" is the Walloon word for a spoon.

La fête des Louches is held every year on the second Sunday of October in Comines.



During this occasion, a variety of floats travel the streets of the city, and wooden ladles are dropped into the crowd from the top of the city hall. They are a coveted prize for the inhabitants.

Every year, the parade has a new theme, either historical or commemorative. This parade is a collaboration between the two towns of Comines; it begins in Comines Belgium and ends on the square of Comines France. During the event, sport clubs, associations and neighbourhoods have the possibility to build a chariot and to participate in historical pictures, the last chariot in the form of a ladle belongs to "The Damsel of Comines and her runners-up". The parade ends with the throwing of ladles by the mayors of Comines France and Comines Belgium.

The festivities last for three days: the opening of the fair on Saturday afternoon; the parade on Sunday; and the free market on Monday morning followed by a cycling race in the afternoon.

The throwing of ladles goes back to the customs of the free fair begun in the 15th century.

The modern version of the Fête des Louches goes back to 1884.