Eucharistic Procession

At 4:00 later on Sunday, another mass was celebrated at the cathedral. We went and relaxed outside because at the end there was a huge procession of the Eucharist. While waiting, Teacher Kyle enjoyed playing with this young lad.

Carlo was reading a book about the cathedral and children gathered around to read with him.

Then the procession began. It started from the cathedral and then went around the square in front of the bell tower. You can see women in their ao dais, beautiful long dresses over pants. The colors represent different Catholic organizations for the parish.

The procession was led by men carrying the traditional celebration flags of Viet Nam found at every festival.

While the big gong and the big drum were being played in the bell tower, the small tam-tam (small gong) and drum were carried with the procession. The drum is male and the tam-tam is female, the same as yang being male and yin being female. Both are needed to make the world. Notice the yellow and white flags, the colors of the Catholic Church.

The band wasn't playing when it came by but we could hear them wherever they were. Their songs have a French flavor as do their uniforms, the influence of decades of French occupation.

You can see better the women, each wearing the ao dai. The colors were spectacular and added to the spectacle.










The monstrance containing the Eucharist was carried by Fr. Phuc and Fr. Vong, each taking turns because of the weight. Every so often the procession stopped, the gong and drum were played loudly, and altar servers tossed flower petals in the path. The canopy was carried by the male elders of the parish and they are dressed in traditional Vietnamese fashion.





Here is a video of what happens when the Eucharistic procession stops.