Procession of the Gouden Boom

Wandering with my Festival guest a few days before he left, last week, we went into the Basilica of the Heilige Bloed. I had been only once before and loved the ornate Gothic decoration and the venerable building, erected between 1134 and 1145 but my distaste for relics and my initial disbelief that today there are still people who venerate them, probably blunted my normal enthusiasm. That said, this time, I stayed longer, appreciated more and actually explored the crypt-like area below ground. It was beautiful, simplicity writ large, and together with the more ornate Gothic decoration in the main basilica, makes a whole, small site of perfection. All this was apparently appreciated by the continuing throng of overawed tourists who shuffled through the basilica in stunned silence and, in some cases, reverence.

The Holy Relic, carried during the
Procession of the Holy Blood.

The oldest document concerning the relic of the Holy Blood dates from 1256, a century after the arrival on April 7th 1150 in Brugge of Count Thierry of Alsace who had reputedly received the holy relic from his brother-in-law, Baldwin 111, the King of Jerusalem in 1150. This considerable gap might mean that the relic arrived in Brugge later than the accepted date. In 1203, Constantinople fell into the hands of the crusaders and the imperial city was sacked in 1204. Baldwin 1X, Count of Flanders, was chosen as the new emperor and it is likely that he sent looted relics back to Flanders, and particularly to Brugge, where his daughters, Johanna and Margaretha, ruled in his absence. This probably accounts for the presence of the holy relic in Brugge while  the design of the rock crystal flask containing the relic, indicates an origin in Constantinople. It is astonishing to this Johnny-Come-Lately that this degree of historical information, nay accuracy, is available today and I am indebted to the Brugge Guide and Historian Cum Laude, Eric Van Keirsbilck, for these details!

After which, another busy week; on Saturday morning I repeated the quite arduous climb up the 366 steps of the Belfort, with Frank Deleu, the Stadsbeiaardier, to watch him play the carillon and  

 The Brugge carillon

send the so-familiar cadences to the crowds in the Markt below. I was with a Very Musical Friend who was staying for a few days and who really appreciated the opportunity to see a master at play! I love to go above the eyrie where the carillon is housed and see the array of large bells above. And, more than anything, to scan the Bruggean panorama on all sides; it is a delight and a puzzle and an aesthetic fulfilment. Were it not for the wind, one could surely luxuriate in the magical views for hours. I was also pleased to meet the Tower Guard, a very comfortable-looking, totally non-aggressive man who remains aloft for the whole day.

Every five years the Procession of the Golden Tree parades through the streets of Bruges and so it occurred on Saturday and Sunday afternoons [19 & 20th. August] My guest and I found a perfect spot at the side of the Stadtheater off Vlamingstraat and my only mistake was not to take a chair from the terrace; standing for nearly two hours on an arthritic foot is not to be recommended! The procession itself provided an enthralling spectacle, with giants, floats involving ships, dragons, thrones, treasure houses, gallows plus a veritable menagerie of animals and 1700 colourful characters all celebrating the city’s existence, affirming its identity and commemorating its history. The first section of the pageant takes you through an evocation of scenes from Flemish history. The second part recreates the legendary festival of the Gouden Boom. This grandiose cavalcade originally wound

Charles the Bold

 Margaret of York

its stately way through Brugge in 1468 to celebrate the wedding of Charles the Bold and Margaret of York. The contemporary tribute creates a special atmosphere; there are crowds of residents and tourists alike, all anxious to soak up the ambience, richness, diversity, unexpected little mishaps and little vignettes inches away from their eager lenses! Clearly the people of Brugge are rightly proud of their impressive Parade of the Gouden Boom.

I was less surprised than formerly to see a little flock of sheep; a dromedary with a baby; a

 I am unsure as to the historical accuracy of this orderly but
lively line of daschunds

considerable number of large horses which remind me of the English shire horses which used to pull beer-carts, though these horses are of several different breeds. Reassuringly, there were the mediaeval peasants with primitive besoms clearing up the droppings from various animal participants! There was the Brugge bear represented plus a finale of towering stilt-walkers of formidable dexterity.



 One charming sight among hundreds.
This Gouden Boom procession occurs every five years
and the trouble to create authentic reproductions with
the attendant expense and wide participation of
Brugge residents is hugely impressive.

Nothing demonstrates the continuity of the history
of Brugge more than the list of Beiaardiers
kept in the Belfort tower.
[Despite efforts, this photo refuses to fill its
allotted space above! SO, independence
as well as continuity.]