A Moonlit Heritage Day
20 Apr 2021Heritage Day is blowing out twenty candles this year, and that’s a cause for celebration! On 24 and 25 April, we’ll be bringing out our night owl and paying homage to The Night. We’ve delved into our content partners’ archives to look for nocturnal scenes to honour this festive edition. This second part of our trilogy is on the theme of the mysterious moon, and showcases a visual clip from content partner RTV.
The moon has been a source of fascination for centuries. The craziest, most beautiful and most horrifying stories about Earth’s globed satellite can be found all over the world. Is there a man on the moon? Can you turn into a werewolf at the full moon? Scientists, writers, musicians and poets have long found inspiration in the pale moon, and continue to do so. This includes Luke Jerram.
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The British artist Luke Jerram has created a lifelike moon with a 7-metre diameter. His work, based on photos from NASA, is travelling around the world and has already appeared in many different places. And there may be no better location than Mechelen, city of the Maneblussers (‘Moon extinguishers’). See the artwork floating in the stately St. Rumbold’s Tower.
Did you know…?
The name Maneblussers (‘Moon extinguishers’) is said to have originated when an intoxicated man emerged from the pub in 1687 and cast a glance at St. Rumbold’s Tower. It was a full moon that night and the sky was full of clouds, which gave the man the impression that the tower was on fire. He immediately raised the alarm and the residents of Mechelen rolled out of their beds to extinguish it… until they reached the tower and realised they were trying to blow out the moon.
We’re highlighting three treasures from our archive system and showcasing them on our website for Heritage Day. This report comes from the archive of regional broadcaster RTV, who produce reports for and about the residents of De Kempen (Campine) in Antwerp and the Mechelen region.
Fancy bringing out your own night owl? Discover the Heritage Day activities that are taking place in your area here.