Passendale celebrates 100 years of the Sint-maarten tradition

Residents and volunteers in Passendale, a village in the West Flanders region of Belgium, celebrated the 100th annual entrance of Sint-Maarten.

A parade of 215 children followed the figure of Sint-Maarten to the local parish center. To mark the jubilee, the figure traveled in a tractor with a float featuring fireworks instead of the traditional horse and carriage. Germain Leenknegt has helped organize the tradition for 45 years.

He took over the event from World War I veterans who were too old to manage it. Despite a shrinking board of directors and difficulty finding young volunteers, several organizations collaborated to ensure the festival continued. These groups included the local fire department, a brass band, the municipality, and the Landelijke Gilde. The event remains free for all children in the village.

Organizers no longer visit homes for donations but instead display a bank account number on a screen to encourage spontaneous gifts. While the organizers suspect they may have the oldest tradition in the region, they note that the nearby city of Ieper has only held the event for 81 years.