The Procession of the Holy Blood is a large religious procession, dating back to the Middle Ages, which takes place each Ascension Day in Bruges, Belgium. The centerpiece is the Blood of Christ, a coagulated relic said to become fluid again each year on this day. Sixty to one hundred thousand spectators watch the procession, a parade of historical scenes and biblical stories. Choirs, dance groups (e.g. dance theatre Aglaja), animals (ranging from geese to camels), horse-drawn floats and small plays with many actors pass by within a couple of hours. More than 3,000 people participate in the spectacle, which is also called "Brugges Schoonste Dag" (The Most Beautiful Day in Bruges). The event retains its spiritual aspect, as many bishops, priests and nuns from all over the world come to celebrate. When the Holy Blood passes by, the crowd becomes still and silent in reverence. The event is protected by the UNESCO World Heritage List.
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Procession of the Holy Blood, 2010
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Virgin Mary, May 2010
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New Testament in Dance
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Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya on the official viewing stand
Famous quotes containing the words procession of, procession, holy and/or blood:
“The day was ending at it was the hour of which I do not want to speak, the hour without a name, when the sounds of evening ascended from all the floors of the prison in a procession of silence.”
—Albert Camus (1913–1960)
“Its imaginary value will increase with the years, and if he [his grandson-in-law] lives to my age, or another half century, he may see it carried in the procession of our nation’s birthday, as the relics of the saints are in those of the church.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
“...your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit...”
—Bible: New Testament, 1 Corinthians 6:19.
“What the horrors of war are, no one can imagine. They are not wounds and blood and fever, spotted and low, or dysentery, chronic and acute, cold and heat and famine. They are intoxication, drunken brutality, demoralisation and disorder on the part of the inferior ... jealousies, meanness, indifference, selfish brutality on the part of the superior.”
—Florence Nightingale (1820–1910)