Friends of the Ryveld and their Giant Rosalie

Everyone knows Rosalie the Ryveld milkmaid. But who knows how this Giant emerged?

In his book "La légende de Rosalie la Géante du Ryveld" (The legend of Rosalie the Giant of the Ryveld), Michel Loosen uses the oral heritage of the elders of the time to give us concrete details of the first steps of the Giant Rosalie. The book also reveals the Giant's tragic demise at the hands of her designer.

Rosalie the Ephemeral Giant

In the Ryveld, a hamlet of Steenvoorde, some four kilometers from the latter commune, in the memory of old Ryveldois - and we know that people live a long time in this corner of French Flanders - in the Ryveld, I say, we had never before seen such an event!

It must have been in 1934, maybe before, maybe after, no one knows exactly, but certainly on a Carnival Monday, that Rosalie", the first Giant of the place, made her debut, surrounded by a multitude of happy supporters, but also a few skeptical jokers, not sparing of misplaced mockery, bloody reflections, in Flemish, because everything happened in this language, like:
"kykt ekee daa', z'es krom en z'es mager lyke e stock"! Look at her, she's twisted and skinny like a stick!
Or again:
"z'hed e leuke beulte"! She's got an ugly hump!
It wasn't true, and in the face of such shameful, despicable slander, let's talk a little about those who had the idea of creating "Rosalie".
The witnesses interviewed, despite their often faulty memory - the events date back some 60 years! Unanimous, they declared that the person who had had the idea of designing a Géante, and then making it, was Henri Lecleire, alias Try, living in the rue du Marabout, a passageway so named because of the presence, in the past, of a few good gossips, accustomed to gossiping around a coffee pot!
Henri Try was an artist in his own right, an accomplished craftsman with an obvious inventiveness and a touch of the dreamy and poetic. His patience was proverbial, and his perfectionism at work almost extreme. As a result, he could hardly bear a helping hand, and the work he produced with his skilful fingers approached the pinnacle.

Welcome refreshment - Canvas by César Pattein - 1901

The dress, colors and features of Rosalie (2024) are inspired by the paintings of César Pattein, a native of the hamlet of Ryveld

So Henri decided to build a Giant, and from the outset, to call her "Rosalie"; like all young people of the time, he had been influenced by a song, in vogue and very popular at the time, called "Rosalie"!
For Henri, siring a Giant was a "first", and although he was a little apprehensive about such an undertaking, he nevertheless accepted the help offered by his brothers. Emile, nicknamed "Broere Try" (pronounced Broure), in other words "Brother", and Roger.
But, a little at a time, Henri, the Artist, was surrounded by a cohort of merry men eager to have a good pint of fun, in the most perfect conviviality.

Text from the book "La légende de Rosalie la Géante du Ryveld" by Michel Loosen (1993)

Rosalie, Elle est partie

(Popular song from the 1930s)

Rosalie, Elle est partie Et d'après ce jour, J'ai l'mal d'amour. Where's she gone? My heart is calling. If you see her, bring her to me. For I'm under, I'm under, I'm under, I'm under her spell, My eyes are soft, are soft, are soft, Are wet with tears. Rosalie, She's gone If you see her, Bring her back to me.

Friends of the Ryveld and their Giant Rosalie

Rosalie 1994 - 2024

"Rosalie " the milkmaid, a reminder of the existence of the brave farmer from the hamlet of Ryveld, is the Giant of the Association "Les Amis du Ryveld".

This association was created in September 1991 on the initiative of M. Derveaux, school principal, supported by a few people keen to get the hamlet moving. Various activities were organized: a flea market, a local produce fair and, in 1993, the 1st Ryveld carnival.

Then came the long-standing idea of recreating the Rosalie Giant. A dynamic team led by Bemard Pinat, Jacky Beck, Norbert Deram and Jean-Claude Crépin set about the task. The features and costume are said to have been borrowed from a painting by Ryveld-born painter César Pattein. On March 13, 1994, Rosalie was christened by Abbé M. Degrave, with Belle Hélène as godmother and Jean le Bûcheron as godfather . A large procession accompanied Rosalie on her first outing, which ended with a blaze of fireworks over the countryside of the Ryveld hamlet.

For its 30th anniversary in 2024, La Géante is getting a makeover.
Rosalie's revival was entrusted to Julien Barthélémya Giant factor, assisted by Delphine Desnu, costume designer, both based in the Paris region.

Rosalie the 2nd measures 4 meters and weighs the same as the 1st, i.e. 80kg. Unlike the old Géante, the lower part of Rosalie 2 is made of wicker. It can be carried by two people in a row.

Summer Carnival 2024

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References and sources: Bulletin Officiel Municipal 3ème trimestre (1964) -Bulletin Officiel Municipal N° 2 (1970) - Steenvoorde Info N°4 Juin (1994) - Revue Le Lion de Flandre Artois Boulonnais Hainaut N° 30 Juin (1943) - Jean Yves Cnapelynck, photo archive (Carnaval de Steenvoorde 1950 et 1951) - L'homme qui fabrique des géants, Nord-France (1948) - La Ballade des Géants de la Flandre maritine Française, Maurice Millon (1970) - Indicateur des Flandre, April 1979 - Indicateur des Flandres, Geo Hennebelle - Voix du Nord Hazebrouck, April 1981 - Patrimoine oral, audio recording:Georges Delaeter et Michel Haverbeque (1979) - Fiche PCI en France - La légende de "Rosalie" la Géante du Ryveld, Michel Loosen (1993) - Géants du Nord/Pas-de-Calais, Robert Chaussois (1998) - Dictionnaire des Géants du nord de la France, Gérard Tourpier (2007) - Gigantia, Un Mundo de Gigantes (2021) - Web archives: geant-belle-helene-org - les-amis-de-fromulus.com - mcsteenvoordois.fr - musique-steenvoorde.fr.