Procession of the Golden Chariot and Battle of the Lumecon

Golden Chariot and Battle of the Lumecon, Procession of the

JuneHeld on a Sunday in June in Mons, Belgium, this event commemorates the delivery of the town from the plague in 1349. In the morning, a golden chariot carrying a reliquary of St. Waudru is drawn by white horses through the city, followed by clerics and girls dressed in brocades and lace. In the afternoon, St. George, mounted on a steed, fights the dragon (the lumecon ), a terrible-tailed beast called Doudou. The battle represents the triumph of good over evil. Before the fight starts, spectators sing the "Song of the Doudou" while carillons ring. Much boisterous merrymaking and feasting culminates in the evening with a pageant presented by 2,000 actors, musicians, and singers.
CONTACTS:
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