May 11-May 13 - Rogation Days

Rogation days were essentially days set aside for prayer and fasting.  They are observed with processions and the chanting of the Litany of the Saints. The rogation days preceding the Ascension are considered minor rogation days. This tradition was begun ca. 470 by the Bishop of Vienne in France and spread across Europe until it was officially adopted by the Catholic Church in the 7th century when they are thought to have started in England. 

A description of rogation processions in the 13th century exists.  Congregants carried rtorches and banners representing biblical characters and saints following a dragon which represented Pontius Pilate and a lion representing Jesus Christ.  Over time the dragon was moved to the back of the procession and the lion took first place. They are also tied to the spring planting and often farms and crops were blessed as the processions wound through the entire parish.

This is one ceremony which transferred into Henry VIII's Anglican Church.