The festival took place the past 15th and 16th of October. This year was the 21st Jenever Festival (Geneverfeesten in Dutch). This traditional and famous distilled beverage that is drunk there is a specialty in the region of Limburg. It brings you the opportunity to gather around with friends and family and to enjoy a long weekend of amusement, and for a foreign person, to discover the city.
Every third weekend of October it takes place in the centre of Hasselt. It lasts for two days and everything is focused on Genever. There are tends, culinary shows, music (provided by De Stoopkes and other good music bands), street theatre, etc.
Is the perfect attraction for us, the Erasmus students, not only to party but also to get in touch with Belgian traditions. Anywhere you look there are people having fun and enjoying the festival all the time.
People from all over Limburg decide to spend the day in the capital of the region taking delight in the typical Belgian food, frituur, and also some other specialties such as the speculoos.
You can see people from all ages, from kids with their parents, to students, aged men and women…
As in the past editions of the festival, the Borrelmanneke statue, the symbol of Genever production in Hasselt, provides Genever instead of water to all the attendants for 30 minutes. So this is this spot where most the people decide to stay.
This year the weather made a pact with the population and we had the chance to spend two sunny days during the event.
A 19th century distilled beverage
As in France, Germany or Russia, they have their own representative drink -cognac, schnnapps o vodka respectively; the belgians have had Genever since 500 years ago. Anyway, it can’t be said that Genever is a Belgium national beverage, car it is also very linked to the Netherlands.
In more than 500 years they have been used different ingredients as corn or molasses. In the regions they like it in diverse ways: spicy, neutral taste or with flavors such as cherry or apple, for example.
This is a great source of income for the country but also taking in count that it can be risky to the public health.
This and much more can be discovered in the National Genever musseum in Hasselt.
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