The residents of the Belgian Faymonville village, located near the country's eastern German border, have organized their annual festival by waving Turkish flag and wearing traditional costumes which are associated with Turks.
Nicknamed "Turks" by neighboring villages and towns for centuries, Francophone Belgian Faymonville residents dress in traditional clothes, mount horses with Turkish flags in their hands, and hold processions on the streets during the Turkish festival, which attracts Turks from all around Belgium and neighboring countries.
Villagers offer drinks and candy to their hosts following the festival, while also throwing confetti everywhere.
''I have come to Faymonville every year since 2003 to assist with the festival. It is nice to see people waving Turkish flags. But the local Belgian character of the festival ought to be protected,'' İsmail Gündoğdu, a Turk living in the diaspora said.
There are different accounts, dating back as far as the eighth century, as to why the Belgian village residents are called Turks. According to one rumor, villagers rejected taking part in the medieval Crusades organized against Muslim Turks.
According to another suggestion, the village was called a ''Turkish village'' after its residents had refused to pay Church-imposed taxes to finance a war against the Ottoman Turks.
Faymonville's local soccer team also features the same Turkish influence. The village's football team RFC Turkania (Young Turks Union) competes in the amateur league of Belgium, and their uniforms feature the Turkish star and crescent.
