Kermis Gastronomy

As a child I was rarely allowed to go to the kermis (fairground) because my mother thought it wasn’t proper. One of the few times we went, I was allowed to fish for a prize: I chose a goldfish. I remember the scent of the fair vividly, though I can’t remember ever eating something bought from the colourful waffle and oliebol wagons, to my great disappointment.

Kermis comes from the Western European custom of Church (kerk) mass (mis), the holy mass conducted in honour of the patron saint of the mother church or in commemoration of its consecration. This happened every year on the patron saint’s name day, but later when the religious character started to fade, kermis started to move to other important feast days. These could be Carnival on the eve of Lent, the change of the season, or important moments on the agricultural calendar, such as harvest time, reclaiming the pagan nature of the custom.