A Tale of Two Statues: The Humorous Heart of Belgium - 18th Aug 2024
In Brussels, the capital of Belgium, there are two famous statues with a humorous "urination" motif.
The first is "Manneken Pis" (affectionately known as Julian), created in the 17th century. He is a world-famous icon with a legend of a boy who once saved the city from a fire. Although he is quite small, standing at only about 61 cm tall, he boasts a massive wardrobe of over 1,000 costumes gifted from all over the world, delighting visitors with his frequent outfit changes during events.
On the other hand, "Jeanneke Pis" (the peeing girl), created in 1985, is located tucked away in a narrow alley about a 10-minute walk from Manneken Pis. While she was established for a serious cause—to raise funds for medical research—her squatting posture is depicted so realistically that it often leaves visitors even more surprised than Manneken Pis. Today, she sits quietly behind iron bars installed to prevent vandalism.
One is a historic, heroic boy, and the other is a girl born from a modern charity. Both are unique tourist attractions that beautifully symbolize Belgium's free-spirited and humorous national character.
にほんブログ村
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ReplyDeleteわぁぉ、噂には聞いていた小便少女！。
ReplyDelete日本じゃぁ、まず。無理でしょうねぇ。
小便小僧はあるのに。
Wow, so that's the "Peeing Girl" I'd heard rumors about!
You'd probably never see something like that in Japan.
We have the "Peeing Boy," though.
このユーモアを受け入れる懐の深さは日本には無いでしょうね。
Delete私はヨーロッパのこういったセンスが大好きですですが。
Japan likely lacks the broad-mindedness to embrace this kind of humor, though I absolutely love this style of European humor.