On the morning of Trinity Sunday,
the shrine is placed on the Car
d’Or, a gilded dray, and the procession begins at
9.30 am at Place du Chapitre. The Car d’Or is pulled through the streets by draft horses and accompanied by several guilds that represent the history of the
region. This is the largest
and most beautiful historical and religious procession in Wallonia and one of
the largest in the country. Turning in the direction of clockwise, the
procession is showing the wealth of the town.
The procession walks through the town with relics of the
founder, Sainte Waudru. There are 1500 participants in this event. I really love
to see those beautiful medieval outfits. A group resembles the family of Sainte
Waudru. Other groups carried banners, statues and shrines from nearby parish churches. The famous song of Doudou played
with sets of portable chime. It evokes the splendor of yesteryear.
You
can see the procession from this route: Place du Chapitre - Rue
Samson - Rue de la Chaussée - Grand Place - Rue de
Nimy - Rue Verte - Rue de la Binche - Rue d’Havré - Rue du Hautbois - Rue de la Halle – Marché au Poisson - Rue des Chartriers - Rue des Sœurs Noires - Rue des Juifs - Grand Rue - Rue des
Capucins until Place Léopold (the train station) - Rue de la Houssière – Rampe Sainte Waudru.
I was surprised to see the Car d’Or. It looks so fragile.
It's the only vehicle of its kind still used in the region. Around the shrine of Sainte Waudru a priest accompanied by choirboys. Along the way, there are
five stops in the ecclesiastical court which reads a miracle attributed to the
sainte.
At the end of the trail, the final
stage of this procession is the most difficult. The dray has to move up the very steep, cobblestoned
street of Rampe Sainte-Waudru.
Hundreds of people crowded into
the bottom of the ramp. And thousands gathered around the church,
corniced and piled.
I’ve never seen human waves in Mons!
They sing, jostle, romp happily passing of each group,
without being aggresive. The excitement is soaring and the atmosphere very
exuberant. To me, it’s very special. Such an indefinable emotion.
When
the Car d'Or comes, a great mass applause when it parked in the bottom of the
ramp for few moments. The tension mounts. Hundreds of people have already
precipitated in the hope of finding a good spot behind it.
Behind
the wheel, a mad race to twenty seconds begins at noon. It is a human tide!
They
cheer.
Applause.
Sing
the Doudou song.
And
I got really nervous.
If they do not succeed the whole town will suffer in the future.
 |
| mons.be |
It’s really a touching and joyful moment when the Car d’Or finally
reached the top of the ramp, as you can see here.