The Marian flags fly in the city. On the terraces on the Grote Markt you hear West Flemish more often than during the rest of the year. Then you know that the pilgrimage season has started in Halle.
During the month of May, the Marian month, thousands of pilgrims make their way to the Basilica of the Black Madonna. You see them arrive by bus or car. Some even come by horse and cart! But many also make it a sporting event and cycle or come to Halle on foot. Every year there are groups of pilgrims who walk to the basilica from Wielsbeke or Oostrozebeke.
receiving large groups of pilgrims
On Saturday May 4
- Around 12.30 pm: Groot-Wielsbeke
- Around 3 p.m.: Deerlijk, Vichte, Anzegem, Beveren-Leie and Heestert
- Around 5 p.m.: Oostrozebeke
On Sunday May 12
On Saturday May 18
- Around 7.30 am: Wakken-Dentergem
- Around 5 p.m.: Gits-Lichtervelde
THE PENTECOST WEEKEND!
During the Pentecost weekend from May 18 to 20, Halle is celebrating! It has been 150 years since the Black Madonna, the iconic statue of Mary in the Basilica of Halle, was crowned on behalf of Pope Pius IX. A great honor for our city, because only 14 statues of Mary in Belgium and barely 3 in the Netherlands received such a precious crown on their heads. We celebrate this unique anniversary all year round in Halle, but the highlight is during the Pentecost weekend.
Get a taste of the fun in the city with some fairground attractions on the Possozplein and on Sunday evening at half past eight, free performances by De Romeo’s and the mop orchestra Decibells on the Grote Markt.
But there is more to experience!
THE BASILICA IN FLOWERS
During the Pentecost weekend, flower artist Herman Van Dionant will tackle the interior of the basilica. Dionant is given carte blanche to decorate the church with thousands of flowers. Come enjoy the beauty of flowers, the wonderful scents and colors. Free admission during the opening hours of the basilica, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Herman says: “Pentecost will be a special holiday for us as Halse florists this year. Our team takes care of the floral decoration in the basilica. After the hustle and bustle of Mother’s Day, the focus immediately turned to this beautiful assignment. After all, the store will be closed for a week.
The decoration will be a combination of natural materials such as cow parsley, spirea and classic long-lasting flowers such as lilies and orchids. The style is also a beautiful marriage between classic and contemporary. The assignment is more demanding than a regular decoration, not only because of the large number of flowers we use, but also because of their shelf life. In recent years, warm spring days have become a normal occurrence. This requires a more accurate selection of materials. To make the whole thing as light as possible, the dominant color will be white with small accents of yellow and perhaps some blue.”
THE CORONATION PROCESSION!
On Sunday, May 19, we will also experience the long-awaited comeback of the Halse Maria procession.
It has been six years since hundreds of extras showed the fascinating history of Halle and its fascinating black Madonna in a lively procession through the streets. With carriages, horses, dance groups and chic costumes. Queen Mathilde was very impressed by the spectacle in 2018. This unique heritage almost disappeared, but a renewed team has emerged to do it again on Pentecost Sunday, May 19!
The 150th anniversary of the papal coronation of Our Lady of Halle is a great opportunity to revive the procession. We return to the year 1874 and show the Coronation Procession of that time. It was shorter, but definitely worth it. It gives the renewed team of the Marian procession the opportunity to settle in and not take on too much at once.
Expect a historic procession including the siege of Halle in the 15th century, where, according to legend, Our Lady of Halle caught cannon balls in her lap. And marvel at a rich parade of Burgundians and Habsburgs on horseback. Even the Austrian Empress Maria-Theresia appears in this procession.
IMPRESSIVE FINAL
The finale of the procession is the scene of the papal coronation of Our Lady-Halle in 1874, accompanied by two regiments of Zouaves who will pay tribute to Our Lady-Halle with the necessary volleys.
We are talking about the second regiment of Zouaves from Walcourt, a medieval town in the province of Namur where they also venerate a black Lady. The statue of Mary is in the basilica of Notre Dame de Walcourt. Zouaves were also present in the Coronation Procession of 1874, which is why they will return to Halle in 2024.
The Zouaves were volunteers who defended the Papal State (predecessor of Vatican City) between 1861 and 1870. The Zouaves were recognizable by their uniform with puffed trousers.
We also expect a large group of Zouaves de la Compagnie Royale “Les Patriotes” from the Walloon Morialmé (sub-municipality of Florennes).
COURSE AND COURSE
The procession leaves at 3 o’clock in the afternoon at Possozpein. From there it goes to the Grote Markt, Melkstraat, Vrijdagmarkt, Basiliekstraat, Arkenvest, Theunckensstraat, Oudfightersplein (stop for Mariahulde), Minderbroederstraat, Volpestraat, Beestenmarkt, Melkstraat, Grote Markt, Possozplein, Vondel (dissolution).
4:00 PM Arrival of the Coronation procession on the Veterans Square with a festive Marian tribute ‘125 years of coronation’. There will be performances by flag waving group the Ijsewielers from Overijse and live music by musicians from the Art Academy in Halle. Students also tell the legend of our black Lady of Halle and the cannon balls in a creative way.
5:00 PM End of Marian tribute and departure of the Coronation procession to the basilica. Our Lady of Halle leaves the Veterans Square with a salvo of honor by the Zouaves of Walcourt and the Papal Zouaves of Morialmé.
6:00 PM Entry of Our Lady of Halle into Her Basilica accompanied by the St. Martin’s Fanfare and the St. Cecilia Harmony, preceded by a second volley of honor by the Zouaves of Walcourt and the Papal Zouaves of Morialmé.
EMPLOYEES AND EXTRAS WELCOME!
The people of Halle hold their Marian procession in their hearts! In recent weeks, many new – and also a strikingly many young – people have made themselves heard to feature in our historical spectacle. Some do that in groups. Such as some colleagues from museum Den Ast, teachers from the Heilig-Hart & College, young people from scouts and chiro, theater associations Volharding and De Noordstar or The Belgian Shield Wall Clan, a group of friends passionate about Viking culture and the Middle Ages and many others. Good for about 500 extras. That bodes well for the future! Interested? Email to [email protected]
However, our renewed organizational team can certainly use reinforcement. If you would like to help, don’t hesitate. Feel free to contact us, send an email to [email protected] check www.mariaprocessie.be Also follow us on www.facebook.com/MariaprocessieHalleen Instagram.
DRAWING CONTEST FOR CHILDREN : GIVE MARIA A NEW CROWN!
For the 150th anniversary of the coronation of the statue of Mary in the basilica, the heritage organization Zender, together with the Den Ast museum and Visit Halle, launched an original drawing competition. Children up to the age of 14 were allowed to draw a new crown for Mary. It was a great success! In the meantime, a jury of craftsmen selected their favorite designs. They then started working on the material of their choice.
This resulted in 4 crowns, each made from a different material, namely Lego, textile, wood and flowers. From Pentecost, the designs of the winning crowns will be exhibited for 2 weeks in the Lady Chapel, the predecessor of the current St. Martin’s Basilica. A ‘Wall of Fame’ will also be set up with the crowns that just didn’t make it but are certainly worth showing!
The winners are Marlies, Ilyas, Maya and Emma. Their crowns are made by Textielt, Kamperfoulie, Dirk Denoyelle and Coupuur.
AND THEN…ON JUNE 1! HALL MEDIEVAL
On Saturday, June 1, you can immerse yourself in the authentic atmosphere of medieval Halle. A medieval tent camp is being built in the Mariahof along the Dekenstraat in the center of Halle. Do you want to know how armor is made? Watch how the blacksmith works with fire. Discover what you can do with herbs. Or experience a sword fighting or medieval dance demonstration. Free from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Mariahof with the Medieval Collective.
The duo ULTREYA provides medieval music on traditional – sometimes forgotten – musical instruments.
For street theater you should be at Cardijnplein, behind the basilica, on Saturday, June 1. Toneelkring De Noordstar presents street theater like in the Middle Ages, with the fascinating story of Mariken van Nieumeghen. It will be a version in the juicy Brussels dialect, but set in Halle, so that it becomes Marieke van de Malla. Free performances at 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Children can have fun in the Fairytale Corner. They can listen to an exciting fairy tale story and play along in the story interactively! At 2:45 PM and 4:15 PM.
There are also activities planned in the autumn during the Halse coronation festivities, but more about that later!!
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Tags: Pilgrimage season started direct line Coronation Festivities
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