[taylorlapeyre]

I wonder what would a ceremony like this look like before the era of cameras broadcasting every move to the entire planet simultaneously. It does seem like a lot of this is performative in the “showtime” sense, and I wonder if the character of an event like this would be more “practical” in another time.

[thomassmith65]

If cathedrals were practical, they'd look like big cross-shaped barns. To turn the restoration of a city's cathedral into a spectacle befits their nature. They were supposed to inspire awe.

[icegreentea2]

What does a practical opening ceremony even mean? It's in the name, it's a ceremony, a ritual.

Even if it wasn't being broadcasted, this is an act of prestige that flows both ways. Power people go these events to lend their gravitas, and power people go to these events to borrow from the gravitas.

[paxys]

You think pomp and ceremony weren't a thing before the TV/social media age?

[highcountess]

You may enjoy reading Pillars of the Earth