It is a procession or ducasse[A] with act of "circumambulation" around a religious symbol (e.g. a statue of the city's patron saint), in Latin circumambulatio or amburbium,[4] which can be found in many religions and beliefs.

In 1349, because Mons was touched by a plague epidemic (the famous Black Death), the authorities decided to organise a procession with the shrine of Saint Waltrude, the city's patroness.

After 1380, the fraternity of Saint George appeared in the procession, made up of members of the nobility, the city's mayor and aldermen.

During the second half of the 16th century, the Ducasse was dependent on political and religious upheavals in the Spanish Low Countries.

In 1786, the combat of Saint George and the dragon was suppressed following an edict promulgated by Emperor Joseph II of Austria.

It was around 1930, under the impetus of Canon Edmond Puissant, that the procession regained its vigour, thanks to the creation of new groups and a renewal of costumes.

Between 1973 and the 2000s, the game was reviewed and structured in the sense of diegesis (a style of fictional storytelling) by Georges Raepers, lawyer at the Bar Association of Mons.

[7] In 2008, the Ducasse de Mons was recognised as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, as part of the bi-national inscription 'Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and France'.

The priest gives the shrine (kept all year in the Collegiate Church of St. Waudru) to the town authorities for the duration of the festival.

On the morning of Trinity Sunday, the shrine is placed on the Car d'Or ("Golden Chariot"), which is a gilded dray, and the procession begins.

Local superstition holds that if the Car d'Or does not reach the top of the hill in one go, the city will suffer great misfortune.

Finally, there are also the Leaf men (French: Hommes de feuilles) that are covered with real leaves of ivy.

At 13:00 (1 p.m.), the participants leave the square, people rush into the arena to find the last lucky manes which have fallen on the ground.