Saint Verhaegen

The event dates back to 24 November 1888, when students of the university organised to protest a university reorganisation that was perceived as undemocratic and against the principle of free inquiry [fr; nl] (French: libre examen, Dutch: vrij onderzoek), on which the university was founded. That morning, 200 of the university's 1,400 students, with many freemasons (as Verhaegen was also the founder of the Grand Orient of Belgium), assembled and left a wreath of oak leaves on Verhaegen's tomb.

 

In following years, the students, with much fanfare and waving the flags of their respective student organisations, would form a long procession to pay homage to Verhaegen at his tomb and a monument in his honour. These celebrations continue to this day, although the students are now generally more concerned with drinking in the streets; the honouring of Verhaegen is done largely by faculty and leaders of the student organisations and is more formal and official. In the last few years, a revival of the formalities has occurred due to several restrictions imposed by the city council.^[1] Students get the day off for the events; no classes are scheduled that day.^[2]

 

Most student groups rent a large transport truck for the occasion, which they decorate in accordance with the year's theme. Each truck has a large number of kegs inside, and some students are designated to serve beer to the others all day, with an all-you-can-drink payment scheme. Many also bring large sound systems which play loud music all day. 2013's Saint Verhaegen saw 6,000 students and 27 transport trucks take part in the procession.^[3]

The students first meet at the Square du Grand Sablon/Grote Zavelsquare in central Brussels, and after several hours, the trucks start to move towards the former Brussels Stock Exchange on the Boulevard Anspach/Anspachlaan (Brussels' main boulevard). This takes several hours as well, as the trucks move only at a walking speed and are more often than not stopped due to the students surrounding them and on the road. Beer may not be served while the trucks are in motion. All roads which the procession goes on are closed to other traffic, including the Boulevard Anspach. The students then disperse and reconvene around 9 p.m. at ULB's Solbosch campus, where all the year's decorations are burnt semi-ceremonially.^[4] Many alumni come to the university's discothèque on that night, which is normally only open to current students.

After the November 2015 Paris attacks, the city council decided to cancel the event for the first time since World War II.^[5] A large part of the students, however, ignored that ban and proceeded to occupy the traditional starting point of the Square du Grand Sablon only to later continue with the procession on foot.^[6] The following year, the city council forbade the use of the transport trucks and limited the consumption of alcohol to the start- and end-points; the students responded by throwing flour at each other and passers-bys. The origins of the flour-throwing dates back to a past tradition of the holiday where the students used to throw eggs, flour and water at the local catholic bourgeoisie who lived in and near the Square du Grand Sablon, after they had repeatedly pleaded with to city council to try and stop the event from happening because they disapproved of the students using the square as their starting point.^[7]

In 2019, Saint Verhaegen was included in the inventory of intangible cultural heritage of the Brussels-Capital Region.^[8][9][10]

Since 1931, Saint Verhaegen has been given a yearly theme, usually responding to current events and taking a liberal/anti-clerical approach. However, political themes are not shunned either, with students often using Saint Verhaegen to raise awareness on social problems, ideological issues and humanitarian crises. Fascism, the School Struggle, state reforms, community fault lines, language politics, abortion, apartheid, human rights, freedom of speech, nationalism, migration, terrorism, climate change, poverty, the far-right, etc., among others, have already formed the theme of the celebration.

In practice, the annual theme often emerges in the decorations of the floats, the party stands on the Sablon and is expressed on banners and signs.^{[clarification needed]} Since 1938, the organisation has also issued an official medal every year, which features an often explicit illustration. Initially this was done by the Association Générale des Etudiants (AGE), later the ACE and the BSG took on this task.^[11] A competition is usually held for the design of the medals, in which VUB and ULB students are allowed to submit their designs.

Associations and individuals also regularly issue medals on their own initiative at Saint Verhaegen that are separate from the official theme. Given their long tradition and limited circulation, the medals have become coveted collector's items among some, such as in 1988, for the event's 100th anniversary.

Year	Theme	Note	Medals
1931	De libertee van de peerdefamille.
1938	Le fascisme.
1946	Le lauréat.
1950	L'incivisme et les fléaux qu'il engendre.
1952	À bas la calotte.
1953	L'amnistie.
1954	Autres temps… autre mœurs.
1955	In calotta venenum.
1956	La guerre interplanétaire.
1957	Spoutnik et fusées.
1958	La conquête de l'espace. - Expo 58.
1959	La pensée ne doit jamais se soumettre.	125th anniversary of the Free University of Brussels
1960	La loi unique et l'austérité qui en découle.
1961	ONU soit qui mal y pense.
1962	L'œcuménisme.
1963	L'antimilitarisme.
1964	St V équestre.
1965	Pacem in tenis.
1966	L'ULB à la plaine des manœuvres.
1967	Le St V des Saints.
1968	St Volympique.
1969	Part(ur)ition de l'U.L.B.
1970	L'antipollution.
1971	St V Impériale.
1972	Gaston la Gaffe et son 107 (k) water closed. - La pénurie des sens.
1973	On en a Plaine le KUL
1974	L'inflation calotante.
1975	St V de deuil.	The celebrations were canceled and replaced by the students with a 'mourning march' carrying a coffin to the Sablon in protest of the Humblet-De Croo law that revised higher education funding.
1976	Le schisme de l'Église.
1977	La régionalisation.
1978	Rencontre du pape.
1979	Mille ans de pucelles.
1980	St V de misère.
	Ras le bol.
1981	Dépénalisez l'Avortement.
1982	Allons enfants de l'apathie.
1983	St V de moutons.
1984	Le Déclin Scientifique. E=CM²
1985	Contre l'apartheid.
1986	l'An Saignant.
1987	Les intégristes aux puces dei.
1988	Ras-le-bol de Pine… Hochet
	Droits de l'Homme
	1888-1988 : cent ans de St V.
1989	Liberté de sex primer.
1990	Le pacifisme. Le Koweït interrompu.
1991	Ça va Zaïre.
1992	Con s'separe pas.
1993	Insanitatis splendor.
1994	Ils étaient là. Merci, 50 ans après.	Commemoration of Groupe G.
1995	En Saignée.
	Otan savoir.
1996	Démocratie - Pas des mots gratuits.
1997	L'an pire des médias.
1998	L'étroit de l'homme dégradation universelle — Verjaring Mensenrechten
1999	Coïto ergo sum.
2000	Débloquons Anvers et contre tout — Hopelijk valt de winter vroeg in Antwerpen.
2001	God blesse la paix — God, te VREDEn gebracht.
2002	Catholique Dangereusement Hypocrite — Caloten Dood & Vrolijk
2003	1888-2003 Arme de protection massive — Let the pope rest.
2004	À la redécouverte de la St V herondekt
2005	La réunion fait la force.
2006	150 ans de fraternité.
2007	Scientia vincere tenebras!
2008	La crise de liquidité — Crisis van het (Beurs) klimaat.
2009	Francisco Ferrer - 1909-2009
	Niqab ni calotte?
	Bleu de toi, Rouge de colère.
2010	Een gelaten regering… Laissez faire et en rire?
2011	Noyés dans la médiacrité.
2012	Ceci n'est pas une caricature.
2013	Philippe pour tous. Waar is Laurent ?
2014	Guerres dans le monde 100 Guerre mondiale — Wereld in oorlog, geen wereldoorlog?
2015	#ToutEstOublié — Vergeten en vergeven.	The event was canceled due to increased terror threats, but students held an impromptu and ultimately allowed celebration on.
2016	Sortie d’urgence, virez à droite — Indien nood, keer naar rechts.
2017	Asiel voor de migrants, opkuisen les gouvernements.
2018	Librex bafoué, universités engagées? — Recht staan in plaats van ondergaan.
2019	Minderbedeeld of minder verdeeld, citoyens invisibles et gouvernements nuisibles.
2020	Met afstand maar niet afstandelijk, confiné.e.s mais pas aveuglé.e.s.	Canceled due to the Covid-19 crisis, replaced with an online event to raise funds for charity, and unlike in 2015, no large spontaneous gathering occurred.
2021	Libre de détruire mais pas d’accueillir. Uitstoot toegestaan, grenzen toegedaan.	On October 12, 2021, it was announced that Sint-Verhaegen could proceed with a Covid Safe Ticket, but on November 12, the VUB and ULB postponed the event to March 18, 2022, due to rising Covid-19 cases, leading students to protest on November 19, which was eventually allowed by the authorities.
2022	Baar uw wetten zonder het aborteren van onze rechten — Accouchez vos lois sans avortez pas nos droits.
2023	«Accrochez-vous» c'est bien — Ons financieren is beter!

• History of Brussels
• Culture of Belgium
• Ommegang of Brussels
• Meyboom
• Royal Theatre Toone

•   Media related to Saint Verhaegen at Wikimedia Commons