View source for Medieval pageant

{{otheruses|Pageant (disambiguation)}}
{{Short description|Traditional procession in European folklore}}
[[File:Sfilata storica - Palio di Legnano 2015 (4).JPG|thumb|Medieval pageant of the [[Palio di Legnano]]]]

A '''medieval pageant''' is a form of [[procession]] traditionally associated with both [[secular]] and religious [[ritual]]s, often with a narrative structure. Pageantry was an important aspect of [[medieval]] European seasonal festivals, in particular around the celebration of [[Corpus Christi (feast)|Corpus Christi]], which began after the thirteenth century. This festival reenacted the entire history of the world, in processional performance, from [[Bible]]'s [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] to the [[Apocalypse]], employing hundreds of performers and mobile scenic elements. Plays were performed on mobile stages, called waggons, that traveled through towns so plays could be watched consecutively. Each waggon was sponsored by a [[guild]] who wrote, designed, and acted in the plays.<ref>James, Mervyn. "Ritual Drama in the Late Medieval English Town". ''Past & Present''. No. 98 (Feb., 1983), pp. 3-29
Oxford University Press</ref>

==20th century revival==
The form was revived in the early 20th century by the English dramatist [[Louis N. Parker]], who staged the [[Sherbourne Pageant]] in 1905,<ref name="Fordoński">{{cite journal |last1= Fordoński |first1= Krzystzof |date= 16 May 2011 |title= Two Minor Dramatic Experiments. Edward Morgan Forster and His Pageants |url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260517182_Two_Minor_Dramatic_Experiments_Edward_Morgan_Forster_and_His_Pageants |journal= |volume= |issue= |pages= |doi= |access-date= 18 October 2023}}</ref> followed by the [[Warwick Pageant]] in 1906. The success of these productions led to a proliferation of pageant plays in England in the following decades. Modern pageants depicted not just religious stories and themes, but rural life and local history as well. Notable authors of modern pageant plays include [[E. M. Forster]] and [[T. S. Eliot]].<ref name="Fordoński"/>

Other pageants in the [[Christian world]] have centered on Saints' festivals, [[Carnival]] (Mardi Gras), and [[Easter]], while vernacular agrarian festivals have celebrated seasonal events such as the harvest, and the [[Midsummer's Night|Summer]] and [[Winter solstice#History and cultural significance|Winter]] solstices.

Also drawing on the medieval tradition, contemporary artists such as [[Bread and Puppet Theater]], the [[Welfare State International|Welfare State]], [[In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre]], [[Spiral Q Puppet Theater|Spiral Q]], and [[Superior Concept Monsters]] have used pageants as a potent community-based performance form.

==Notable examples==
The [[Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France|processional giants and dragons]] ({{langx|fr|Géants et dragons processionnels|link=no}}) of Belgium and France are a set of folkloric manifestations which have been inscribed by [[UNESCO]] on the [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists|lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage]] in 2008, originally proclaimed in November 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/lists|title=UNESCO - Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France|website=ich.unesco.org|language=en|access-date=2019-07-27}}</ref> They include:

In Belgium:
* [[Ducasse d'Ath]]
* [[Ducasse de Mons]]
* [[Meyboom|Meyboom of Brussels]]
* [[Ros Beiaard Dendermonde|Ommegang van Dendermonde]]
* Ommegang van Mechelen

<gallery>
File:Ath ducasse 2004 Ambiorix.jpg|{{center|The giant Ambiorix at the [[Ducasse d'Ath]]}}
File:Géants de Tournai pendant la Grande Procession (DSCF9101).jpg|{{center|Giants of [[Tournai]], Belgium}}
File:GeantsMeyboom2.jpg|{{center|Giants of the [[Meyboom]] of Brussels}}
File:Walloon Giants Belgian Day Wisconsin.jpg|{{center|Giants of [[Belgian American]] community in [[Brussels, Wisconsin]]}}
</gallery>{{clr}}

In France:
* [[Cassel, Nord|Cassel]]: Reuze Papa<ref>{{Base Palissy|PM59001786|Note about Reuze Papa}}</ref> and Reuze Maman<ref>{{Base Palissy|PM59001787|Note about Reuze Maman}}</ref>
* [[Douai]]: [[Gayant]], Marie Cagenon, Fillon, Jacquot, Binbin
* [[Pézenas]]: le Poulain
* [[Tarascon]]: la [[Tarasque]]

==Also see==
[[Mystery play]] - Medieval plays focused on the presentation of Bible stories in churches as tableaux with accompanying antiphonal song.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Walking]]
[[Category:Christian worship and liturgy]]
[[Category:Christian processions]]


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