November 8 – Lord Mayor's Show in London

nPostednon November 8, 2014

This event has been held every year, continuously, for more than 470nyears. It’s been happening off-and-on for almost 800 years!

n(London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England.)

nEverynyear a Lord Mayor of the City of London is chosen, and every year thenLord Mayor makes a trip from the center of London to the Royal Courtsnof Justice, in the City of Westminster, to take an oath of loyalty to the Crown.

n(This is more than swearing allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II; it isnswearing allegiance to WHOEVER sits in the throne.)

nItnis strange to realize that the Lord Mayor of the City of London isndifferent than the Mayor of London! (Even weirder, “the City ofnLondon” is different than the city called “London.” More onnthat below.) London has only had an elected head known as a mayor fornthe past 15 years, but the Lord Mayorship has existed since 1189 andnwas once one of the most important offices an English person couldnhave. n

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nSo,nwhat is “the City of London”? n

The red portion in the
very heart of London
is called the “City of
London.”

nItnis a city and ceremonial county within London, the part that wasnsettled by the Romans in the 1^stncentury CE and that continued to be considered London through thenMiddle Ages. It is about a square mile in size, and it includesnaround 7,000 residents and many business and financialnestablishments. n

n(Whennwe say London,nwe generally mean Greater London, which includes the City ofnWestminster and some 30 other boroughs – and around 8,400,000nresidents!)

nNow,nwhat’s all this about the Lord Mayor’s “Show”?

Inmentioned that the Lord Mayor travels from the heart of London knownnas “the City” to the royal enclave at Westminster. Well, thisnprocession grew to be a “show” – pomp and pageantry, show andnfun!

ThenLord Mayor used to travel via horseback and barge, but now typicallynrides in a coach.

n(In 1710 a drunken flower girl somehow knocked thenLord Mayor off of his horse, and he broke his leg…and we can’t haventhat!)

Gog and Magog

nAngreat many “Livery Companies,” such as Goldsmiths andnFishmongers, participate in the show, as do regiments such as thenHonourable Artillery Company.

nFavorite charities and old schools andnbusiness associations of the year’s Lord Mayor are invited tonparticipate as well. Volunteers create and parade giant reproductionsnof statues of Gog and Magog.

nInnaddition to the procession (aka parade), there is a river pageant andna fireworks display. I read that the fireworks may be cancelled this year, though, to save money.

nDidnyou know…?

A float in the Lord Mayor’s Show

nHavenyou ever wondered why large displays rolling down the street in anparade or carnival are called “floats”? Well, it’s all because ofnthe Lord Mayor’s Show! In the past, much of the procession tonWestminster and back took place on a barge on the River Thames. Thenbarge and other boats and watercraft were highly decorated for thisnparade-on-the-river, and each unit became known as a “float.”nWhen parades on the street began to feature decorated cars and cartsnand rolling displays, the name transferred over…

nAlsonon this date: