The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ is a much-loved solemnity in which the Eucharist is not only celebrated, but travels through our streets as if seeking to reach every member of the faithful in daily life. The Corpus Domini procession and the tradition of flower carpets speak to us of a God who loves us and walks with us. Let us discover why.

Jesus in the Eucharist in procession

Perhaps the most distinctive feature of this deeply felt feast of the Church - instituted on August 11, 1264, by Pope Urban IV - is that it is not celebrated only in church, but also includes an outdoor “Eucharistic procession”.
Little by little, over the years, this procession has become increasingly solemn: the route winds along the streets, small altars are prepared for blessings for people, fields, and homes, balconies and windows are decorated, and flowers are also scattered on the streets. People begin arranging the flowers in a more systematic way, creating simple designs such as the host, the cross, and the chalice. Later, the streets and squares of towns and cities are covered with colorful, fragrant carpets of flower petals, arranged to depict sacred scenes and other ornamental motifs. In this way, magnificent floral decorations called “flower carpets” are created, lending even greater splendor to the solemnity of Corpus Domini in a riot of fragrances and colors.

The flower carpets, then and now

This custom of decorating the route of the Eucharistic procession with flowers has ancient roots. The tradition of creating pictures from flower petals is believed to have been started by Benedetto Drei, head of the Vatican Basilica’s flower department, and his son Pietro, who used «leafy and finely chopped flowers in imitation of mosaic work» on June 29, 1625, for the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the patrons of Rome.
The flower carpet of Spello (Perugia) is probably one of the most famous in Italy today. The flower artists work all night to create carpets and floral pictures that wind through the streets of Spello’s historic center to honor the passage of the Body of Christ, carried in procession by the bishop on Sunday morning. The result is a route of about 1.5 km characterized by the succession of more than sixty different flower carpets, celebrating Jesus and the Eucharistic miracle. 
Among the most beautiful and famous flower carpets are those of Bolsena (Viterbo), Genzano (Rome), Fucecchio (Florence), and Alatri (Frosinone), the largest in the world!
Our God is a “God with us,” a God who travels our streets, a God who wants to meet us; this is what the flower carpets tell us. We only need to open our hearts: «God makes himself small like a piece of bread, and precisely for this reason a great heart is needed to recognize him, adore him, and welcome him. God’s presence is so humble, hidden, sometimes invisible, that it needs a prepared, alert, and welcoming heart to be recognized» (Pope Francis).

DISCOVER, WITH BLESSED CARLO ACUTIS, HOW MANY ROADS JESUS HAS FOUND AROUND THE WORLD TO MAKE HIMSELF PRESENT AMONG US.