Good morning Belgians, a warm hello from England 🙂
My family has a strange Christmas decoration given to my older brother on his first Christmas (early 90s) by a Belgian lady friend of my great uncle. Great uncle passed away many years ago and we’re not sure who his friend was, other than her first name and that she was/is from Belgium, i.e. we can’t really ask anyone about The Clown.
My parents were told that this decoration was a traditional Belgian gift to the first born child of a family. It’s a little soft clown (about 10cm square) and it’s creepy as shit. He has a plastic face with eyes that open and shut and a white cone hat, white silky “arms” and “legs” with bells for hands and feet. He doesn’t have an abdomen/thorax/body I guess. He takes pride of place in our Christmas tree, and has a silky pink ribbon around his middle to attach him.
A few years ago I decided to Google this “Belgian tradition” of giving a weird clown to the firstborn child on its first Christmas and came up with nothing. So I wanted to ask: have you ever heard of anything like this? Is it even close to being a “tradition” in Belgium?
PS nobody will be distraught if it turns out that The Clown’s origin story is bullshit but we are curious!
Thank you!
Edit: a link to the little weirdo https://imgur.com/a/TYqyrKs
31 comments
I have never heard of such a tradition, neither have my parents. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ‘clown’ like you describe.
Sorry, my man!
Never heard of it in Flanders, maybe our Walloon friends know about this?
Never heard of this here
I don’t think it’s so nice to have a creepy clown in your Christmas tree
Never heard about this.
Include a picture perhaps? Sounds weird tho.
Some pictures would help.
Edit: If anyone can help you, it’s these guys [info@speelgoedmuseum.be](mailto:info@speelgoedmuseum.be) at the toy museum.
We have quite a bit of dubious traditions but afaik creepy Christmas tree clown isn’t one of them .. yet.
Surrealism is a belgian tradition so have you considered your ladyfriend is just playing a super long term prank?
Traditional Belgian gift for psychopaths maybe. This sounds like a plot to a horror movie
Zwarte piet maybe?
Never heard of it. Do you have a picture? Maybe it was just a thing in your family. Like your own little tradition.
Ok Saint Nicolas is back to Spain so I guess it’s safe to mention Christmas now. You made a close call there though…
I’ve seen these before. I don’t know what they’re for but I know only old people use those as decorations
My grandparents have one of these, now I never asked about it. Looks quite a lot like the picture!
It’s usually sitting on top of a present.
>Edit: a link to the little weirdo https://imgur.com/a/TYqyrKs
I do recognize this from somewhere, but if it ever was something traditional, it is a dead tradition by now.
These type of clowns are collected by some older people. I never connected them with Christmas or gifts though. But I have seen collections of it in people´s drawing rooms (the drawing rooms where you are never allowed to sit and the clowns are already populating the couches).
Jesus, you weren’t kidding when you called it creepy
My grandparents have one of these. Dont know about the tradition tho. I have never heard of it
never heard of that tradition, maybe it’s regional. I kinda like the clown.
Hoping you’re not the first born child in your family, because if you are, you might want to make an appointment with an exorcist.
I’m a bit late, but no I’ve never seen such a doll, nor have I heard of such a tradition. I assume your uncle’s friend was either confused, misinformed or playing a prank.
Yes, i have seen these Xmas decorations, i kind of like them. If it is a belgian tradition i don t know. Hope somebody can give you answers.
Looks like a Pierrot doll. Not exactly Christmas related, but as others have pointed out: a lot of older people have them as decorations in their house.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierrot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierrot)
[https://www.google.com/search?q=pierrot+doll&rlz=1C1GCEU_nlBE943BE943&sxsrf=AOaemvI_glw0oNq8jJS24HPtByEbN1b9FQ:1638783328907&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwivjrvR7870AhUlQzABHV99B6AQ_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=1163&bih=554&dpr=1.65](https://www.google.com/search?q=pierrot+doll&rlz=1C1GCEU_nlBE943BE943&sxsrf=AOaemvI_glw0oNq8jJS24HPtByEbN1b9FQ:1638783328907&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwivjrvR7870AhUlQzABHV99B6AQ_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=1163&bih=554&dpr=1.65)
Stare into the void for a long enough time, and something will stare back, such as this ‘thing’..
T̵̪̿h̷͎̾ḛ̵̏ ̸̜̓ṣ̶̶̵̵̷̸̵̶̷̵̸̗̣͈͍̲̭͓͔͋̈́͋̑͗͊̎͗͘͝ͅc̵̵̸̴̶̷̵̶̷̶̶̡͉͇͓̪͙̗̱͎͈͂͊͐́̈͒̎͘͠͝ȑ̶̸̵̶̶̶̶̸̸̵̶̢͚̗̗̘͖̱͚̰̏͌̍̄̔̀͘̕͠ͅę̸̵̸̸̴̷̶̷̴̴̶̝͖͙͚̮͖̣͎̞̃͆͋̀̇͊͒̎͝͠ą̷̸̴̷̵̶̶̸̷̴̶̨͉̪̟͙̟̲̺̰̊̏̔͒͌͗͐͗͑͐m̸̴̶̵̸̴̵̵̴̵̸̡̧̧̛͚̲̭̬̪͓̟͊̆̐͛̆̉͆́͝s̸̷̸̴̴̶̶̴̸̴̸̙̰̤̬̱̯̘̹̺̼̃̍̿̔̅̄̋̽̅͝ ̵̷̴̵̸̴̸̴̸̷̵̮͎͍̣̱̠͍̞̥̞̄̅̌̍͛͒͊̅͊̕e̶̸̴̷̸̸̴̸̴̷̵̷̵̷̸̸̴̶̴̶̶̴̴̴̷̵̴̸̸̸̸̶̶̶̸̵̶̷̸̸̶̴̴̡̧̢̱͎̯̖͓̲̬͇̬̭̪̩̪̜̲̜̲̖͕̮̦͔̹͓̺̯̞͔̥͎͚͍̞̘̻̎̂̎́͂͌͗̄͋̆̿̈́͑̅̎̊̇͑́̔̓͆͋̽̎̓̀̆̄͋͂̉̐̃͆̑͂̃̈̚͜͜͜͠͝ͅc̸̶̶̴̷̸̴̶̴̵̵̵̴̴̷̴̷̸̶̴̴̶̷̴̷̸̶̶̴̴̶̸̸̶̷̵̵̵̴̷̶̵̸̨̧̧̨̧̧̨̠̺͓̦̩̲̹͔̹̬̞̟̺̼͙̩̘͕̺̹̞̙̮̩͙̺̦̼̞̯͈̑̿̓́̍̿̏̿͐̃͆̈͊̌̀̾͐̈́͛͛̓̽͋̿̓̀̈́̋̓̅́̀̋̉̒̅̈́̄͘͘͜͜͜͝͠ͅḩ̷̷̴̷̸̸̷̵̴̵̶̸̷̷̵̵̷̶̶̶̶̴̶̶̸̸̵̷̴̴̸̶̷̵̸̶̶̶̷̵̷̵̷̨̢̛̙̗͓̜̜̹̗͓̦̟̥̠̗͎͈̝̪͕̼̫͔̼̠̠̠̝͇̟͖̯̜̪̹̪̮̺̎́̋̓̂̅̆̄͋̀̏̃̉̊͛̈́̋̈́̾̎͗́̏̑̈̋̿̇̎̈̈́̌͐́̍̕̕̚̚̚͜͜͜͝ȏ̴̸̴̸̷̵̷̸̶̵̶̶̷̸̴̴̶̴̵̵̴̴̸̷̴̸̴̵̶̷̴̵̵̷̶̵̵̵̵̸̸̸̸̢̡̡̡̨̳̱̝̘̻̻̱͙͕̹͉̬̲̩͖̘̣̺̠͖̺̥͍͍̳̪̙̤̖͓̻̺̂̄̎̏́̋͋̏͂̄̍͛̂̄̀̽̾̌͛͂̄͐̀͂͂̓̋̎͊͐͗́̿̒͂͆̍͌̋͘͜͜͝ͅͅͅ ̴̷̵̷̸̶̵̵̶̵̷̵̷̵̵̸̷̴̴̵̸̸̶̵̷̵̷̸̴̴̸̴̷̸̸̵̷̸̵̸̵̷̵̡̛̛̛̼̻̳̟͓̩̟̲̥͙̩͎̼̬͈̦͍͙͇̲̥̲̹̲̗̼̬̣̰̦̟̺̫̹͉̫̰̠̺̲͎̎͌͛͛̏̔̀͒̓̾̑̒̉̈̀̀̿̅͋̓̔̂̅̒̑͒̋̐̚̚̕͘͘͠͝͠͝͠͠l̶̵̵̷̴̵̵̸̵̶̷̷̸̶̷̶̸̵̴̷̷̷̵̶̴̵̵̸̷̸̴̸̸̴̴̵̵̶̸̶̷̴̸̨̡̡̨̨̛̛͓̠͚̜̯͍̘͉̭͎̻̤̦̞̲̻͕̲̰͓̦̱̘̞̻̜͓̗͍̥̯̺̹̝̟͎̈́̈͆̒͊́̅͆̌̾͛̌͗̀͛̿̀̓̓̀̉̐̈́͋̈́͐͑̒͋̀̍͆̕̕̚̕͜͝͠͠͝ǫ̴̶̴̵̴̴̵̸̷̴̶̸̸̵̵̴̵̶̸̴̸̶̸̶̶̸̴̸̵̸̶̶̴̵̵̴̴̵̷̴̸̷̵̡̛̰̯͙͖̯͖͇̥̞͉̙̝̟̭͙̗̠̠̭͓̱̘̥̖̗͉̬̰̟̠͕͉̹͚̤̳̞̪̊̽̅̓͐̈́̒̎̒̆̉̇͗̄̔̈́͐͂͊̋̄͋͛̊͑́͂͂̊̊͗̏̿̌̽̚͘̚̕̚͜͝ͅų̸̴̵̵̵̵̷̷̷̸̴̵̷̸̸̸̷̶̸̵̶̶̸̷̸̴̶̵̸̶̵̷̷̸̸̷̷̸̷̵̶̴̸̧̡̧̨̛͇̦̯͇̣̤̦̥̗̖͈͇̱̼͉̻̘̠̰̟̗̫͈̲̗̙͓̠̩̮̮̭̦̭̲̯̱͌̋̐̓̉̀͗̈́̈́͌̾̂̇͒̾̈͆̈́̓̏̐̌̐̈͌͗̑̂͗̌͐͐̽͒̔̕͘̚͝͝͝ḑ̴̴̷̸̵̵̵̶̴̷̵̸̶̷̸̴̷̸̶̴̴̷̵̵̸̶̷̷̴̵̵̶̸̷̶̵̵̵̴̶̶̶̵̨̛͚̱͉̫̩͇̜͈̫̭̮̥̣̰̼̝͍̦̳̜̦̪͙̱͓̪̤̟̰͉̫̥̪̳̫̗̻̼̜̇͌̓̈́̿̇͂́̐̏̌̂̎̈́̏̑̍̏̆̂̊̏̒͛̔̆̏̂͒̐̆͋͘̚͘̕̚͜͝͝͠͝ļ̴̷̵̶̷̸̷̷̷̵̴̷̵̸̵̴̶̶̵̷̸̸̴̵̷̷̷̸̶̸̶̴̷̶̸̶̸̶̶̴̴̷̴̨̨̛̛͕̤̬̼͎͖͇̝͈̗̫̤͙͍͇̪̤̻̭̘̩͍̗̲͕͕͙͓̼̖̤̹̮̟̺̻̙̈́̇̿͆̃́̔̎̈́̾̑̅̐̓̿͑̅̓̍́̄̔̀͆̌͆̀̏̏̍̊̽͘̕͘͜͜͠͝͝͝͝ẏ̷̸̶̴̴̵̷̸̸̴̴̶̸̷̸̴̵̴̴̷̴̷̵̴̶̵̸̵̶̶̷̷̷̸̵̴̵̸̵̶̵̸̴̡̨̧̢̛͓̝̠̦̞̙̖̞̯̣̠̲͔̩̼̫̳̱͕͉͈̥̤͎͉̘̭̘̪̗̮̲͖̠̞̪̀̑̑͒̃̈́̇̾͗̿͐͋́̐̈́̎́̐̉̋͐̈́͗͊̐̃̾͌̐͋̆͋͊͘͘͘̚͜͝͝͠ͅ
I don’t know about any tradition, but my mom used to have a bunch of those. They’re called a ‘harlekijn pop’ in Dutch and ‘poupée arlequin’ in French. They usually do have a torso, but not always. I also think they might originate from France, but I’m not sure.
Those dolls also conviced me for a while my grandparents house was haunted so I didn’t want to visit them anymore. I only returned after they’d gotten rid of them.
Sounds totally like something old people from some old village would be doing for a long time.
My grandmother crafted similar clown Christmas puppets, but then with homemade (and much creepier) faces. To me, this looks like the fancy edition of a traditional ornament, from the days when resources were scarce and ornaments were mostly homemade.
Why it has to be clowns though, no idea.
I don’t know about this particular clown, but i do know that my grandparents did give us clown decorations for our first gifts. They did also have clown decorations in the christmas tree. Maybe it was a tradition like up until 50 years ago? And grandparents kept it alive without telling us that it was a tradition? Might have also been very regional, the are from Limburg which is a very “old”/”traditional” part of the country
Used to have one of these when I was young, I clearly remember it looked very similar to your pic.
we had some of these as decoration. family in brussels. not christmas related though.
I’m not sure if it was my grandma or an aunt but somebody in my family had a couple of clowns like that one, but they were on display all year round so I don’t think there was a connection with Christmas…