London: Italian Church procession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

London's Italian population will be out on force tomorrow, Sunday, 21 July, for the procession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Every year, thousands of people flock to the streets around St Peter's Church in Clerkenwell to watch the procession and to participate to the feast of the Church where you can buy typical Italian products from different gastronomic stands.

The procession has taken place since the 1880s, although it has proven impossible to establish the precise year this event began. Certainly, since 1896, the procession has been held almost every year, with an interval only during the war years. In fact it appears to have been the first outdoor Roman Catholic manifestation of faith since the time of Henry the VIII's Reformation and it is now one of the few events of its kind in London. Queen Victoria granted special permission to the local police chief in Holborn for the event to take place. Procession costumes first appeared after the World War II and decorated floats began to feature during the 1950s.

For more information see: www.italianchurch.org.uk/index.aspx