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Ever since 1264 the Feast of Corpus Christi is celebrated in the Catholic Church ten days after Whitsuntide, on the Thursday following Trinity Sunday; this is, literally, the feast of the body of Christ. It is a thanksgiving celebration and a commemoration of the Eucharist, of the Lord as Host, the bread of the Eucharist. The Host, the holy of holies, is accompanied in a solemn procession through the meadows, and the Lord’ s blessing is sought for the ripening crops in the fields. Although the reforms following the second Vatican Council brought about a simplification of the elaborate Corpus Christi procession, some areas fought for the retention of the traditional popular outpouring of religious fervour in all its colourful splendour; this was the case in Appenzell and also in Düdingen and Estavayer-le-Lac, in the canton of Fribourg, in Beromünster, the canton of Lucerne and in the Valais.
The day before the festival, flags are raised, flowers are gathered and tied into wreaths and garlands, and beech foliage is brought from the woods and fastened to the houses. Window ledges are decorated with moss, flowers, little altars and sculptures. In Estavayer hundreds of flower pots are placed on window ledges. At the stations where blessing is sought, festively decorated altars are decked with green pine, flowers and candles. In Estavayer the streets are still today strewn with "Lische" (dried reed grass), boxwood branches, rosebuds and clusters of flowers. In Düdingen the "Herrgottsbuebe" or "lads of the Lord" scatter flowers on the street as the procession approaches.
Everywhere that it has been possible to preserve the Corpus Christi procession following the Vatican Council, the Feast Day begins with cannon being fired in the early morning, for the morning hours before the church service are needed for the final decorations with freshly cut flowers. After the service, usually celebrated by several priests, the procession is formed, and consists of the priests with the Host, and brings together members of the church board, devout men and women, musical groups, soldiers, schoolchildren, students and people in traditional costume. In Appenzell over a hundred women attract attention in their traditional festive costumes, and in Düdingen the young women wear the "Chränzli" bridesmaid type of costume with thickly braided hair.
In the Lötschental valley and in Visperterminen in the canton of Valais a typical sight is the so-called "Herrgottsgrenadiere", or grenadiers of the Lord, soldiers wearing old-fashioned uniforms. At the designated stations the procession stops for prayer, song and the seeking of God’ s blessing.
Refreshed in body and spirit all the participants in the procession return and spend some time together in the local inns and wine cellars.
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