The Meyboom ('May Tree') plantation is the oldest tradition in Brussels, going all the way back to 1308. It is held every year on 9th August, the eve of St Lawrence's Day, and consists mainly in planting a beech at the intersection of the Rue des Sables/Zandstraat and the Rue du Marais/Broekstraat in the City of Brussels' Marais–Jacqmain District. It is accompanied by processions and various folk activities during the day.
According to tradition, the celebration commemorates a victory of Brussels over the nearby Flemish town of Leuven in 1213. The Companions of St Lawrence, a city guild, came to the aid of Brussels' inhabitants and vigorously repelled the aggressor. Grateful, the Duke of Brabant at the time (Henri I of Brabant), granted the status of corporation to the guild and gave it the right to plant henceforth a tree of joy or Meyboom. In honour of the new corporation, the date of the plantation was fixed to 9th August, the eve of St Lawrence's Day, the guild's patron saint.
In spite of Brussels' tortuous history, including the 20th-century demolition of most of the Marais–Jacqmain District, the Meyboom tradition has been maintained throughout the centuries. An incident happened, however, in 1974, when a group of men from Leuven, called The Men Of 1929, managed to find out which tree Brussels had earmarked as their Meyboom. During the night of 8th August, they cut down the tree and transported it to Leuven, where they planted it in front of the city hall. Brussels chose to ignore what had happened and cut down another tree. Ever since, the two cities have been involved in a friendly rivalry to decide who has the 'real' Meyboom.
The tree is designated by the city's Plantation Department and 'chosen' by the Companions of St Lawrence in the Sonian Forest, in the outskirts of Brussels. According to tradition, it must weigh at least 600 kg (1,300 lb), measure 12–13 metres (39–43 ft) in height and be leafy. It is cut and then transported by Bûûmdroegers ('tree bearers') through the municipalities of Schaerbeek, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode and the City of Brussels. The procession is accompanied by a marching band, Poepedroegers ('giant puppet bearers'), the Wheel of Fortune, Kêrstoempers ("cart pushers"), Meybloemekes ("flower-handing women"), as well as Gardevils ('city guards') since 2001.
At 1 pm, a tribute is paid to the deceased Companions.
The procession then forms at the corner of the Rue du Marais/Broekstraat and the Rue des Comédiens/Komediantenstraat and sets off along a fixed route. Along the way, small branches of the tree are distributed, supposed to bring good fortune for the year to come. The culmination is the plantation itself, which must take place before 5pm to avoid a victory from the Louvanistes (i.e. Leuven's inhabitants). The tree is in fact not really planted but stuck in the ground and removed the next day.
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