Present Day
Today some descendants of the families have formed L'Association des Descendants des Lignages de Bruxelles (French for "The Association of Descendants of the Lineage of Brussels"). The Association organizes certain traditional events such as the "Ommegang" ceremony. Descendants of the seven noble families do not enjoy special political privileges any longer.
Descendants of the seven nobles house of Brussels are entitled to place the post-nominal initials PB (Patricius Bruxellensis) or -in case he holds a title of nobility- NBP (Nobilis Patricius Bruxellensis) behind his name. This was a custom that is already found in the writings of Jan-Baptist Hauwaert, NPB (1533–1599).
Read more about this topic: Seven Noble Houses Of Brussels
Famous quotes related to present day:
“The East knew and to the present day knows only that One is Free; the Greek and the Roman world, that some are free; the German World knows that All are free. The first political form therefore which we observe in History, is Despotism, the second Democracy and Aristocracy, the third, Monarchy.”
—Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831)