To mark Cyprus Independence Day, the famous Manneken Pis statue in Brussels will be dressed in a specially tailored Cypriot traditional men's costume, the vraka, during an event organised by the Cyprus Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the City of Brussels.
The ceremony will take place on Wednesday, 1 October, at 1pm, in the presence of Cyprus's Ambassador to the EU Political and Security Committee (PSC), Petros Mavrikios, representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The event serves as a symbolic bridge between Belgian and Cypriot culture, highlighting the importance of independence and national identity.
The Manneken Pis is an iconic symbol of Brussels. The 55.5-centimeter-tall bronze fountain sculpture, located in the city center, is regularly dressed in various costumes on a nearly daily basis, with a collection exceeding a thousand different outfits. Since 2017, the costumes—including the Cypriot vraka—have been displayed at the GardeRobe MannekenPis, a museum dedicated exclusively to the statue, located on the same street in Brussels' historic center.
The vraka was donated to the City of Brussels by the Cypriot Embassy in 2010 ahead of Cyprus Independence Day, and is exhibited in the museum's "Manneken Pis, a very European Bruxellois" section, alongside other national costumes of EU member states.
(Source: CNA)
