Tens of thousands of people flocked to the Belgian town of Dendermonde to witness a historic parade that featured four children riding a giant horse.

Known as the 'Bayard Steed', the 5-meter wooden figure carried by 12 men had not been shown in public for 12 years.

Some 86,000 onlookers, according to a police count, witnessed the horse crossing the Flemish city, 'dancing' to the rhythm of a marching band, accompanied by giant figures, acrobats and some 2,000 actors in historical costumes.

READ MORE
Demining Kyiv before summer
Mona Lisa cake attack
Beavers in London

The horse – weighing a tonne and made out of wood, iron and material – arrived on the town's central square and pranced towards its assailants.

The Saga of the Bayard Steed traces its origins to a medieval chanson de geste – or chivalrous tale – involving Frankish emperor Charlemagne asking for a local warlord's prized war horse in exchange for a peace deal.

The folk ritual is only enacted once every 10 years and was supposed to take place in 2020, but was postponed two times because of the coronavirus pandemic. The parade was enlisted in 2008 on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and will take place again in 2030.