May the third

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It is a tradition which dates back to the beginning of the  century. On May 3^rd,  in the morning, church bells begin ringing and groups of devotees go to the town churches to prepare the statues of Saints for the afternoon procession, children knock at the house doors to collect alms while a band is playing in the town streets. Early in the afternoon the preliminaries for the procession start: thirty-three Saint statues, decorated with flowers, ribbons and lights, followed by parishioners  are carried from the churches - where they are usually - to the Mother Church. At the scheduled time they are lined up and  their carriers make them  bow before a wood golden canopy - called Vara - under which The Crucified stands. St. Michael's statue opens the procession which ends in the Mother Church after going through the town streets. A mass in the main square after the procession and a firework show at midnight round  the feast day off. In the past on this day, early in the morning, children used to go to their grandparents' to receive "the third of May" that is some money as a present.