And this brings us to the most contentious question in the scientific study of religion: Is religiosity -- including our tendency to believe in supernatural entities as well as our ability to lose ourselves in religiousrites -- an adaptation?
Ensor's parade may well reflect the tradition of religious processionals, including the bawdy rites of Mardi Gras, and the more secular, nationalist pageantry of "Joyous Entry" paintings that for centuries had commemorated the triumphant return of militia or monarchs to their capital cities.