“Een recordaantal Belgen trekt de komende krokusvakantie naar de sneeuw,” read a headline in De Standaard last week. A record number of Belgians will travel to the snow this coming crocus holiday.

Which holiday? The crocus holiday, the week-long school holiday in February named after the colourful little plant that begins to bloom around this time of year and has come to symbolise the advent of de lente, spring. (Eindelijk! Finally!)

And this year, apparently, the prices for a ski trip are down, since the holiday in Belgium doesn’t coincide with the same holiday in France, which is where people here traditionally go for wintersport.

“De oorzaak is de gunstige timing,” read the newspaper. The cause is the favourable timing. Makes you wonder why they would ever do it otherwise.

Or if not in the sun up in the mountains, chances are that instead, you are in bed, hungover from learning the ways of the natives during carnaval, carnival, the madness that rages across much of the southern Lowlands before Aswoensdag, Ash Wednesday.

Like many holidays in Flanders, carnival is traditionally katholiek, Catholic. It precedes de Vastentijd, Lent, or fasting time, the 40 days of fasting leading up to Pasen, Easter.

People dress up, drink and go crazy; at least that’s my take on the whole thing. Maar er is meer aan de hand, zo lijkt het. But there seems to be more to it. They elect a prince who is temporarily given the reign of the city, which in the meantime has assumed a different name. They have massive parades and play a certain type of oompah-oompah music.

In any case, the celebrations in Aalst, East Flanders, which is said to be carnival city, have been included in the Unesco list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

For those who did travel to the snow during carnival, you will have a second chance from 1 to 3 March in Ostend.

Alaaf! (What people say during carnival instead of hello.)