Corpus Christi

The wind has stopped, the sun has come out and it even feels slightly warm!  You may or may not know but today is Corpus Christi, a tradition still celebrated with vigour in Ballydehob. The procession was at 3pm and I went over early to take some pix. The village looked stunning freshly painted and scrubbed and a riot of colour. The shop and pub windows were hung with lace curtains, each window decorated with fresh flowers and religious statues and paintings. All along the street buckets and vases of fresh flowers were in front of every door and here and there little altars had been laid out - more fresh flowers and laciness.  Minhane's is a hardware shop that sells a most interesting mixture of stuff normally but today lacy curtains had replaced the goods and I just loved the bucket of lilies. Biggify to see the statues and orchids.
I met my Pal Finola who attempted to explain what it was all about but I got a bit lost - I'll just settle on the mystery. Anyway, a procession eventually processed through the village led by the children who had recently received their First Communion resplendent in white and suits, scattering rose petals. They were followed by the men looking shifty and jaunty, who were followed by a small red car full of women and a loud hailer saying the rosary, who were followed by the women and children who were followed by the priest and the monstrance, a canopy held aloft by four brave men and true. I'll let wikipedia  explain it better than I can! It seemed to me to be a burst of community pride and celebration of the season.
I took millions of pix, so many interesting little glimpses, and have attempted to put a folder up on Flickr but they won't load tonight - timed out, whatever that means. Anyway I've added a few extra pix here so  you get the gist.

Thanks so much for the response to yesterdays - there's something about washing on a line.