The Dragon of Mons
Once a year, in the main square of a Belgian city, Saint George fights a dragon, and the crowd fights to pull hairs from its tail for good luck.
What was reported
Every year on Trinity Sunday, the city of Mons holds the Doudou, a festival whose high point is the Lumeçon: a battle in the Grand-Place between Saint George on horseback and a long wicker dragon, carried by men in white, and accompanied by 'devils' and 'wild men'.
As the dragon's tail swings round the square, the crowd surges to grab the horsehair ribbons on it, which are said to bring a year of good luck. The battle always ends with Saint George slaying the dragon.
Explanations offered
The festival goes back to the Middle Ages and links a religious procession with the dragon-slaying legend. It's one of Belgium's best-loved traditions and is recognised by UNESCO as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage.
- When
- Fought every year on Trinity Sunday
- Where
- Grand-Place, Mons, Hainaut, Belgium
- Witnesses
- The people of Mons
- Status
- Folk custom
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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