Mayoralty candidates take note:
« Leadership involves finding a parade and getting in front of it. »
– John Naisbitt
My street is having a parade! Right here, right now. Outside my front door, bands are marching, flags are flying, and crucifixes are hanging high.
The only spectators are the residents of the street; most of whom had no idea that at 5 o’clock on this Sunday afternoon, about 200 people would be walking by their door.
It began ominously. The familiar drone of the vehicles travelling down what I like to call « Autoroute St-Urbain » ceased to rattle my eardrums. There was silence, like in a film; you know, the kind one would expect to hear before the alien jumps out of the patient’s stomach, or when all the animals have fled in fear of the monster prowling the forest.
Suddenly, there were brass instruments. I naively thought my flatmate had taken on a new affinity for the Drum Corps.
But then as it grew louder, we came to realise that this was not any ordinary Sunday afternoon.
The Portuguese Association of Canada, along with l’Église Santa Cruz, is staging a show of pride…or something. Whatever it is, it is nice to see all the neighbours, out on their lawns and balconies, equally confused by the goings-on.
So suddenly it commenced, so suddenly it concluded.
And as I look further up the street, preparing for the return of that familiar drone of vehicles travelling down what I like to call Autoroute St-Urbain, I have to laugh to myself:
This would never happen in Vancouver; it rains too much.
This would never happen in Calgary; it’s much too cold.
This would never happen in Toronto; they’re too busy fighting their so-called « War on Cars ».
No, this could only happen in Montréal, and for that, I am glad I live here.
(Unless, of course, I were a motorist…)
6 comments
Yep today I thanked the stars above that I did not own a car, with ave mont royal pedestrianized today plus the parade route…. oh plateau driving….
My favourite portugese parade is the one where many many girls are dressed in velvet capes and carry crowns. I think it is in May.
Are you sure it was a parade?
I stumbled on it about 5:30pm, coming down from Welch’s 1.00 outdoor book sale, and the music sounded funeral-like, not parade. And then it seemed like there was a casket, and I wondered who had died.
It was clearly a local thing, but it didn’t remind me of parades around there that have happened around this time.
Michael
I’ve stumbled across these kinds of Portuguese parades at least half a dozen times in the past. Most of them are a lot larger than this and they usually have some spectators. There’s always one that takes place around Labour Day.
Voyons donc!
While such a parade is more likely to happen in Quebec, the reason it’s less likely to happen in Calgary isn’t because it’s too cold.
The mean high temperatures for the winter months are “meaner” (lower) in Montreal then in Calgary. The temperatures for the other months aren’t cold in either city.
http://www.worldweather.org/056/c00622.htm
http://www.worldweather.org/056/c00634.htm
I enjoy your posts.
Best regards,
Robert
A Western Montrealphile
Salut !
Je voulais juste savoir quel type d’appareil as-tu utilisé dans cette présentation? J’aime bien l’effet ‘vintage’ sur ces photos. Merci !
Not to be a bother, and no disrespect to Montreal, but I too spent my Sunday afternoon exchanging amused, quizzical looks with my neighbours as a parade of Portuguese parishioners marched down my (smallish) Toronto street.