The Four Jolly Days of the CWARMÊ

On Saturday
Since 1850, the carnival groups began going through the streets already on the Saturday afternoon. A masked reveler went in front of some of the carnival groups as they went through the town to the sound of a slow march. This was the procession called the “Trouv' lê.” This custom still remains today. At the opening ceremony of the transfer of power during the “Trouv' lê,” the mayor proclaims the opening of the CWARMÊ in a speech in Walloon, and the same language is used to accept the transfer. Besides the “Trouv' lê,” the “Grosse Police,” a dozen “Sotês” and two “Djoupsènes” (Egyptians) participate in the first procession carried out for the CWARMÊ.

On Sunday
In the second half of the 19th Century, on the Sunday morning, people in dirty, ragged costumes and masks ran around the town with different instruments, for example with old tin drums making a lot of noise. Because of the dirtiness of the revelers, this procession was called the “mâssîs tours” (dirty parade). These extreme processions were quickly forbidden and replaced, starting from 1889, by groups of revelers that did not have anything to do with the ragamuffins of earlier times. These gave way to merry groups of revelers that make a fool of the inhabitants and visiting spectators on the Monday and Tuesday throughout the whole town.
Thus, in today’s carnival on Sunday there is the “toûrdu parade.” This is made up from the various different carnival groups and their masked members. Following shortly on from this procession, the “bânes corantes” (reveler bands) take to the streets with their traditional figures in order to fool about and tease the local and the visiting spectators.

On Monday
Since the first quarter of the 19th Century, the local groups have been putting on street theater cabaret shows at various points round the town. These are satirical acts in the Walloon language, also called “roles” (rôles). For the amusement of all the spectators and participants alike, the little and large funny events that the people of Malmedy have experienced and endured over the past year form the material for scripts that are spoken in verse to music. Woe betides the lesser known town dweller, who after an evening out on the town with wine or beer couldn’t find his car again….!!

On Tuesday
The “mâssis tours” that took place during some of the latter years at the end the 19th Century right up to the 1920s were often very unpopular. The custom has, however, changed, and nowadays the groups go around in the afternoon separately and two choral groups have chosen a special topic that they repeat year by year: The “Royale Malmédienne” present “Ardennais et Ardennaises” and the “Royale Union Wallonne” present “noce 1900 au village” (“The Country Wedding around 1900”).
Around 1891 the carnival ended on Ash Wednesday with the “brûlage de l’os” (the burning of the bones), this however was stopped in 1892 by the clergy. It was, however, reintroduced by the people of Malmedy in 1954 by the burning of the Haguète in the evening of Fat Tuesday again. All the carnival groups, masked and costumed participants and the whole population meet at the Place Albert, in order to attend the spectacle. The Haguète is stood on top of a burning funeral pyre and this fire is deemed to cast the winter away.