Belgians wave Turkish flag at Turkish village carnival

Faymonville, a Belgian village known as a "Turkish village without Turks," opened its traditional carnival Feb. 11. Led by cavalry carrying Turkish flags, the Faymonville villagers marched playing Ottoman Janissary Band music. The neighboring villages, which dress as different nationalities every year, drew great interest. Turkish Ambassador to Brussels Mehmet Hakan Olcay and Consul General Ali Baris Ulusoy also attended the carnival upon the invitation of the Waimes Municipality. Turkish flags were flown with the Belgian and Valonia autonomous regional flags in the square of Faymonville village, which is located in the Arden Mounts region close to the German border. Turkish flag motifs attracted attention in the entrance of the library building in the center of the village. The only hotel in Faymonville is named "Au Vieux Sultan" (Old Sultan). The football team of the village, RFC Turkania uses the Turkish flag in its logo. The reason why the village is called a Turkish village has been explained in different ways. Some villagers believe that the tradition dates back to the eighth century. One possible reason Faymonville villagers were nicknamed Turks was because they did not join the crusades. The best-known reason for the moniker is that the Faymonville villagers did not pay taxes collected in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries for the war against the Ottomans, and were accused of having allied with Muslims.