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The Blessing of the Bikes, also The Blessing of the Bicycles, is an annual tradition in which riders of motorcycles or bicycles are blessed by a priest in the hope that it will bring safety for the coming season. Many towns hold annual ceremonies to bless motorcycles at the start of the summer. The first mass blessing of bicycles was held in 1999 at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City. Since its beginning the ceremony has been ostensibly non-denominational, focusing more on rider safety than religion. However, the service does include prayers and reading of biblical passages, and bicycles are sprinkled with holy water. A brief memorial service is held to acknowledge riders who have died in the previous year.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Time Out New York )〕 The Blessing of the Bicycles is one of only three annual occasions—the others being Easter and the Feast of Saint Francis—on which the cathedral opens its 3-ton bronze portal to allow for larger crowds. The popularity of the service has encouraged other localities to follow suit. Annual blessings are held from Burlington, Massachusetts〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Religion Notes )〕 to Los Angeles〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Blessing of the Bicycles )〕 to Melbourne〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.cyclingpromotion.com.au/images/stories/events/Blessing_of_the_Bicycles3.pdf )〕 and incorporate varying degrees of emphasis on religion, environmentalism, fitness, cyclists' rights, and safety. In 2013, Good Samaritan Hospital celebrated their 10th Annual Blessing of the Bikes in Los Angeles〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Blessing of the Bicycles )〕 ==See also== *Blessing of the Fleet 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Blessing of the Bikes」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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