Every year, the Maria Ommegang procession moves through the streets of the centre of my town, Bergen op Zoom. This has been happening since 1945. After all, the birth of the Maria Ommegang lies in the Second World War.
During his sermon on 15 August 1943, the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, chaplain Willem Ooijens made a promise that if the city were spared from major wartime devastation, a procession of thanksgiving to Mary would be held every year.
Fundamentally, the Maria Ommegang is a religious procession. Over the years, historical elements of the Marquisate town have been incorporated, making the thanksgiving procession more appealing to a broad audience. The Maria Ommegang has increasingly developed into sustainable, cultural, and religious intangible heritage.
In the procession of thanksgiving, Mary is the central figure, around whom many things are depicted, including stories from both the Old and New Testaments. This makes the annual procession of thanksgiving a somewhat late continuation of the medieval Bergen Procession of the Cross, which was stopped in 1572. The first post-war Maria Procession marched through the streets of Bergen op Zoom on 15 August 1945. The promise was then put into practice.
Around 1,000 volunteers are involved in the devout and colourful procession, including not only the elderly but also many young people. The Maria Ommegang is therefore firmly rooted in local and regional communities. Family ties within the Maria Ommegang are notable, and many participations are passed down from mother/father to daughter/son and on to granddaughter/grandson.
Since 1945, following the liberation of Bergen op Zoom on 27 October 1944, the Maria Ommegang has been an annual Bergen tradition and enjoys great popularity. The procession of thanksgiving seems unaffected by secularisation. The Maria Ommegang is cherished by young and old, religious or non-religious individuals, and locals or people from further afield in Bergen op Zoom and its surrounding areas. The procession of thanksgiving has moved with the times and thus remains appealing to many.
The procession of thanksgiving is for many a deepening and reflection of faith. Others are inspired by the messages that are heard in the participating groups. I see the Marian procession as a thank you for peace. The procession is a loving appeal for peace, regardless of people's religion. In the Marian procession, children, women, and men participate to proclaim the word of peace to and from Her. The “Hail Mary” is heard more than once. After all, Mary is the Queen of Peace.
The Maria Ommegang in Bergen op Zoom is, in my opinion, unique in the Netherlands and Flanders, featuring dance, declamations, theatre, and singing. Passages from the Old and New Testaments, the Seven Joys of Mary, and parts of the history of Bergen op Zoom form the main elements of the annual procession of thanks, to which guest Madonnas from other towns also participate. Children's groups also take part in the Maria Ommegang, as do themed floats such as the Annunciation, Christmas, and Resurrection.
Devotion to Mary is more than holding its own, and in Bergen op Zoom, that is a key factor in the continued popularity of the Maria Ommegang. Visiting the Maria Ommegang is free of charge. The procession travels through the centre of Bergen op Zoom every year on the last Sunday of June. It resembles a travelling open-air spectacle. The promise lives on...
The day before the procession of thanksgiving, the devotional image is taken from the Ommegang chapel of St. Gertrude's Church and placed on the presbytery. On the day the procession of thanksgiving takes place, the likeness joins the procession. After the religious procession, the image returns to St. Gertrude's Church and remains on the presbytery for another day. Subsequently, the image of Mary is returned to its familiar place in the church's Ommegang chapel.
Each year, a few employees of the Maria Ommegang receive a large candle as a thank you for their special commitment during the procession or behind the scenes.
In the month of June, an exhibition of Virgin Mary statues from other places and/or collections will take place in the Saint Gertrude Church. The exhibition will run until the day of the Maria Ommegang, which is the last Sunday of June.
Meer informatie vind je op www.mariaommegang.nl to be found. Other information on https://Bergenopzoom.nu
