A Local Identity with Strange Faces The Brielle Masquerade between 1927 and 1969

On January 26, 2016, the Dutch Centre for Popular Culture and Intangible Heritage presented the inhabitants of the city of Brielle with a certificate, stating that the "Brielle Masquerade" had become part of the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Like many European local festivities, the masquerade is regarded to play a vital role in the construction and representation of a local identity. This article shows that this was indeed the case in the period 1927-1969, but that there was also a striking dissimilarity in comparison to other local festivities in the Netherlands. At first, market-oriented thinking and the urge to civilize the population, were the main driving forces behind the masquerade. In time, the festival turned out to be suitable for reinforcing social cohesion and to express the local balance of power. These features are not unique to Brielle, but characterize local festivals throughout Europe. However, unlike similar festivals in other Dutch villages, the Brielle masquerade made no clear distinction between local people and outsiders: organizers, participants and the local press highlighted the typical local character of the festival, but were enthusiastic about the presence of large numbers of visitors as well. The Brielle case shows that localism does not necessarily have to be an inward directed and xenophobic phenomenon, but can also willingly be opened to outsiders.