In Which it is Palm Sunday

It was Palm Sunday this weekend and St. Paul's Cathedral held their traditionally re-enactment of Christ's entry into Jerusalem. When I heard that this would be an outdoor procession complete with a live donkey, I decided I had to attend. After all, it's not every day that there's a religious procession with a donkey parading through the streets of London

The Procession Approaches (the donkeys are behind the head on the left)

I waited for the procession at Paternoster Square, outside of the Cathedral. When I arrived, I was greeted by St. Paul's sharply dressed ushers, who presented me with a bulletin and a cross made from a palm frond. The ushers at St Paul's are always dressed in formal attire:  morning coats, waistcoats, and large medallions of the Cathedral's arms worn around their necks. I have often wondered whether possessing such fine clothing is a prerequisite to serving as an usher, but I digress…

Donkeys

The procession led by two donkeys and a brass band arrive in the Square promptly at 11am. They were followed by a boys choir and a group of very smartly dressed children, presumably students at the Cathedral school, waving palm fronds and shouting Hosannas. Bringing up the rear was a long procession of clergymen and women wearing surplices, chasubles, and the odd mitre. Unfortunately, lacking my Peterson Field Guide to Anglican Clergy, I could not tell you who most of these individual were. It was, nevertheless, quite an impressive display. It reminded me of the sort of religious procession one sees in Italian Renaissance paintings. All that was missing, I suppose, were a few Medici.

Clergy and Palm Bearers

 
Once the procession arrived in the square, a clergyman, identified as "the President" by the bulletin, welcomed the assembled crowd of churchgoers, tourists, and curious passersby. He then berated the crowd for being far "too Anglican" and not joining in the shouts of "Hosanna!" The service continued with the Gospel reading and a blessing of the crowd by the President, after which the procession, sans donkey, proceeded into the church.

Inside, the Cathedral was packed. I attended a regular Sunday service at St. Paul's once and there were only enough people to fill the area under the dome and part of one of the transepts. This time both transepts and the entire nave were filled. The rest of the service was pretty standard, although, in lieu of a sermon, the rest of the Gospel story from the Last Supper to the Crucifixion was read with different clerics reading the dialogue of the different characters.

All in all, it was quite an enjoyable experience. In closing, I cannot resist saying that while I have seen many an ass at a church service before, only the ones today walked on four legs.