After several years of nearly going and one year of cancellation, I finally was able to tick another item from my London bucket list: watching The Lord Mayor's Show. The day is packed with a parade starting on the river and continuing into the streets, events, and fireworks in the evening. The fireworks and procession on the Thames were cancelled this year. The parade still went ahead, though, after its cancellation last year. The show dates back over 800 years. This year sees Alderman Vincent Keaveny elected as the 693rd Lord Mayor of the City of London in 2021.
The Lord Mayor's Show has only been cancelled a couple of times in history, and the last time before last year was in 1852 due to Wellington's funeral.
The parade is made up of livery companies, charities, bands, and military and defense personnel. The important figures, such as the Lord Mayor, arrive toward the end of the procession. The Lord Mayor arrives in a gold-plated beautiful state coach.
In addition to all of the livery companies and charities in the parade, there are additional historical aspects retained. Gog and Magog are two wicker giants and known as the guardians of the City of London and have been carried in the procession since the time of Henry V. It was common to carry effigies of pagan figures (or perhaps victims to play in the rituals) in these parades in ancient times, and that tradition is carried on today.
Another quirk of the parade is the Great Twelve Livery Companies. Livery companies have been added ongoing through the years, but the first twelve include Mercers (usually associated with exports/imports of luxury cloth materials), Grocers, Drapers, Fishmongers, Goldsmiths, Merchant Taylors +, Skinners +, Haberdashers, Salters, Ironmongers, Vintners, and Clothworkers. Other livery companies can be asked to participate. The order of the Merchant Taylors and Skinners has been known to cause a disagreement, so they alternate sixth and seventh place yearly.
Overall, it was a good day. I could have stayed and waited for the parade to return to the City or watched it from another location on the return journey. Perhaps I will see it later one year and watch the fireworks, if they are ever set to return.
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