Thousands of people have taken part in the annual Silent Procession which was held in Amsterdam on Saturday night.
Traditionally, participants wear normal clothing and do not carry religious attributes during the circumambulation in the oldest part of the city which commemorates the Miracle of Amsterdam which occurred on 15 March 1345.
On that day, a dying man regurgitated the sacred host he had been given as part of the anointing of the sick. The host was thrown into the fire but was found intact among the ashes the next morning. A maid took the host to a priest, but the next day the host reappeared in the fireplace it was thrown into.
The Miracle of Amsterdam was officially recognised by the Catholic Church as proof of the true presence of Christ in the host. However, the procession commemorating the miracle of 1345 was banned during the 16th century Reformation and not reintroduced until 1881.
© Radio Netherlands Worldwide
The miracle on a 1508 woodcut print
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