When in rural Shropshire ,I remember something like “ beating the bounds”
I think it was to define and to remember the Parish boundaries.
We all went and yes gates and fences were beaten
The Manchester Whit Walks were enormous ,thousands of Sunday School children walked behind their church banners which depicted the saint after
whom the church was named.
Girls all in white with little posies,boys in their new clothes
Our’ s was St.Philip.
Parish walks on Whit Sunday then on Whit Monday to Albert Square,each year on a rota system some churches went into the Cathedral.
Our church always had the same brass band ,Culcheth Prize Military Band ,
Otherwise known as “ The Tall Hat Band” as their second uniform was black tail cost and top hat.My grandfather played the flute in it.
They were always in demand .
The Roman Catholic community walked on Trinity Sunday and Whit
Friday .
They were joined by the large Italian community and the Polish and Ukrainian
Communities ,all wearing national dress.
It was lovely to see .
The Madonna was safely kept for the rest of the year in John Pesagno’s ice cream factory .
For the walks it was covered in hundreds of Madonna lilies , carried by the Italian men ,jokingly known as The Manchester mafia!
A really lovely sight.
Whit week was really special ,new clothes ,a long white dress for” the walks” .
The procession through Manchester too two hours to pass.
We really looked forward to it all.
It was like a reward for regular Sunday School attendance.
Oh happy days.
Long gone now sadly.
Viktoria.
.
boundaries
