Case file · Folklore / legend
The Lumeçon of Mons (Doudou)
Since 1440, the Ducasse of Mons has staged a fight between Saint George and a dragon on the Grand-Place; the procession of Saint Waltrude itself is attested from 1248.
1440 CE · 50.45, 3.95 · status: legend
The account
Locals say misfortune follows if the Car d'Or fails to climb the Rampe Sainte-Waudru in one go. The feast is a UNESCO masterpiece of intangible heritage.
The sceptical view
The popular tale linking it to the plague of 1349 is wrong, according to historians.