The festival, also known as 'Kattenstoet', is held every three years on the second Sunday of May, Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.
Ypres prospered in the Middle Ages owing to the cloth industry, however, wool sheets stored in the town's Cloth Hall attracted thousands of mice.
Cats were brought-in to check the problem, but the town was soon overwhelmed by cats, which led the people getting rid of the feline animals by throwing them out of Cloth Hall tower.
During the festival, locals of the town dress like cats, the shops sell a variety of cat toys and memorabilia.
According to sources, the festival has helped strengthen the local tourist economy around Ypres town.
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NL
kattenstoet zondag 10 mei 2015
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FR
cortège des chats dimanche 10 mai 2015
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EN
cats parade sunday 10 may 2015
Ypres, the historic and famous '14-'18 city is also the triennial meeting place of bubbling cat folklore. The 43th edition was again an impressive spectacle.
The innovation of the Cat Parade will continue in the next editions. The cats festival guarantees a spectacle with various new floats, giants, bands, theatre and dance groups. There will also be evocation of the cat throughout history, the cat in language and legend, the cat around the world and Ypres as a historic city. Surprising background activities makes the event even more enthralling.
The 44th Cat Parade! A great rendez-vous not to be missed! 10 MAI 2015
Belgian town holds cats festival
During the festival day, the Ypres city seems to be an ocean of cats. Advertisings about the cats festival are seen everywhere in the streets of the town, the locals dress like cats, the shops sell a variety of cat toys and memorabilia, and of course the most striking thing is the grand "cat procession".
The procession, held every three years on the second Sunday in May, is part of a two-day event celebrating the town's tradition of cloth making.
Ypres prospered in the Middle Ages owing to the cloth industry, however wool sheets, stored in the town's Cloth Hall attracted the attention of mice. Cats were brought-in to eradicate the problem, but the town was soon overwhelmed by cats.
This led to the townspeople throwing cats out of the tower of the Cloth hall to get rid of the cats, in a tradition dating to the beginning of the 15th century. Cat-throwing then became linked to the prosperity of the town itself.
The act of throwing live cats was abandoned in 1817, to be replaced by toys or models. The tradition survives in the current cat procession festival