Stille Omgang
The Stille Omgang (silent procession) is a Roman Catholic procession which is walked each march in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.The procession commemorates the Miracle of the Host of 12 March 1345, a miracle which involved a dying man vomiting upon being given the Holy Sacrament and last rites. The Host was then out in the fire, but miracilously remained intact and could be retreived from the fire in one piece without the heat burning the hand of the person that retreived it. This miracle was officially recognised as such by the Roman Catholic Church, and a large church was built where the house had stood. This church was alas destroyed by Protestants just prior to its return into Catholic hands.
To commemorate this miracle, the people of Amsterdam vowed to walk a silent procession each year, a procession where not a single word is spoken and which follows the old city borders. This path is known as the Heiligeweg (Holy Way). It begins and ends at Spui, via Kalverstraat, Nieuwendijk, Warmoesstraat and Nes.
The Stille Omgang fell out of practice somewhere in the 17th century, but was revived in 1881. About 8000 Catholics from all over the Netherlands take part in it, after first having joined a mass in one of Amsterdam's churches. The procession always occurs on the night of saturday on sunday following 12 March.