Procession of the Golden Tree

{{Short description|Historical pageant in Bruges, Belgium}}

{{Use British English|date=December 2023}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}

{{Infobox recurring event

| native_name = {{small|Praalstoet van de Gouden Boom}}

| native_name_lang = nl

| logo =

| logo_caption =

| image = Gouden Boomstoet 04 Grauwelinck.JPG

| caption = Giant Grauwelinck in the 2012 procession

| status = Active

| genre = Historical re-enactment

| date = August (formerly July)

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| frequency = Every five years

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| location = Bruges

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| country = Belgium

| years_active =

| first = 1958

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| last = {{Update after|2027|08|01}}

| prev =

| next = 2024

| participants = About 2,000{{cite book|author=George McDonald|title=Frommer's Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg|publisher=Wiley|year=2011|page=77}}

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}}

The Procession of the Golden Tree ({{langx|nl|Praalstoet van de Gouden Boom}}) or Pageant of the Golden Tree ({{langx|nl|Gouden Boomstoet|link=no}}) is a historical pageant held in Bruges, Belgium, every five years to commemorate the celebrations held there in July 1468 for the wedding of Charles the Bold and Margaret of York. It has been organised since 1958.{{cite book|author=Christopher Turner|title=Bruges|series=Landmark Visitors Guide |publisher=Hunter |year=2002|page=102}}

The heraldic shields of challengers at the 1468 tournament were placed on a golden artificial tree at the lists.{{cite book|author=Robert Pateman and Mark Elliott|title=Cultures of the World: Belgium|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|year=2006|page= 118}} The 1468 event included a banquet. Madame de Beaugrant, a dwarf, rode into the chamber on an automata made like a golden lion, and was placed on the top table as a gift to Margaret of York.Nadia T. van Pelt, Intercultural Explorations and the Court of Henry VIII (Oxford, 2024), p. 72.

The procession that was to have been held in 2022 was postponed until 25 August 2024 while the format was revamped.{{Cite news|title=Vernieuwde Gouden Boomstoet zoekt 1.500 deelnemers |author=Koen Theuns |date=20 November 2023 |newspaper=Het Nieuwsblad|url=https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20231120_94887419}}