Procession of the Holy Blood

The Procession of the Holy Blood (Dutch: Heilig Bloedprocessie) is a large religious Catholic procession, dating back to the Middle Ages, which takes place each Ascension Day in Bruges, Belgium.

The centerpiece is the Relic with the Precious Blood of Jesus, a cloth with blood of Jesus Christ, brought to the city by Thierry of Alsace after the 12th century Second Crusade. The Procession of the Holy Blood seems to have emerged as a civic ceremony by the late thirteenth century. Instituted in 1303, the ceremonial procession commemorates the deliverance of the city, by the national heroes Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck, from French tyranny in May of the previous year and which takes place on Ascension Day, as one of the great religious celebrations in Belgium. Residents of the area perform an historical reenactment of the phial's arrival together with similar dramatizations of Biblical events. The passion play, the Jeu du Saint Sang takes place every five years. 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.

In 2015 the procession was cancelled, a few hours before it was scheduled to start, due to bad weather.

More than 3,000 people of Bruges participate in the spectacle, which is also called "Brugges Schoonste Dag" (Dutch for "The Most Beautiful Day in Bruges"). People of Bruges used to decorate their facades with flags in the colours of the City and country. The event retains its formal spiritual aspect. Every year the bishop and gouverneur invite high diplomatic guests. Among the most famous guests was the bishop of Warsaw, Mgr. Wojtyła in 1973 and cardinal Wiseman in 1849. Many bishops, priests and nuns from all over the world come to celebrate this famous procession. In morning a pontifical Higmass is celebrated in the cathedral and in the afternoon the procession takes place. The clergy carries the relic on the shoulders, guarde by the brotherhood. When the relic of the Holy Blood passes by, the crowd becomes still and silent in reverence. The event is protected by the UNESCO as part of the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

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