Whatsit Wednesday: Manneken Pis en Mestreechter Geis

He has hundreds of costumes, a whole team of people to make sure that he is always presentable and a horde of tourists that visit him every year. “He” is “Manneken Pis” and yes, that is exactly what it sounds like, but no, it is not being rude. This is “little man peeing”. He is one of the main attractions in Brussels and has become the mascot of the city. 

When Sean was studying in Brussels, he stayed with friends who lived just around the corner from this interesting little man (thank you Bill and DeeDee!). Most people from Brussels know where he is and walk past him daily. He has become a normal sight. It is the groups of tourists that are more interesting. Hundreds, even thousands of people trying to get a selfie with this little man peeing in the background. 

The stories about the statue are myriad and are more than likely simply stories - as the story in the Netherlands about the boy with his finger in the dyke (but that is for another time). The interesting thing is how the city embraces the statue with stores in the adjoining streets selling statues of all sizes of this statue. You can purchase a mini “little man peeing” or a larger one. You might even be able to purchase a “life-size” version. Perhaps to place in your garden at home? But then you would have to make sure that everything was always working well, as do the maintenance crews. Although this little man is a little man, he is more of an age to have prostate problems. No one wants his stream to stop, so he is constantly cared for. 

And he is dressed in all sorts of costumes for the various holidays and occasions throughout the year. It is even considered good protocol for visiting dignitaries of all sorts to bring a costume for him to wear. He can wear a military uniform, look dapper in a tux or stand in the colors of the national football team - all while urinating on the corner of the street. 

In Maastricht, they also have a statue that clearly represents the spirit of the city. As a matter of fact, he is called “Mestreecter Geis” or “the spirit of Maastricht”. Maastricht is in the southern tip of the Netherlands. As such it is a Catholic city, the capitol of the province. These southern, Catholic areas celebrate Carnival and “Geis” (which is also a normal name in the south, although spelled differently), represents this well. 

The statue is downtown near the river where the parade walks by during Carnival in the Spring. But this holiday actually begins on 11-11-11, the 1tth day of the 11th month at 11 minutes past the 11th hour. All those 11’s show a bit of craziness. Geis, the statue, embodies this craziness and desire to enjoy, no matter what. That also well represents the feeling of the normal person from Maastricht. 

It has been important for us to be aware of what feelings are important for the populations where we live and work. It has especially been important for us in our work in Maastricht to understand the idea of enjoying fun and placing an emphasis on not being too serious.