23rd November
Romeria means pilgrimage. Forget the vicissitudes of the Camina, be-sandalled and blistered wiry pilgrims striding purposely over the snow-capped Pyrenees in pursuit of spiritual fulfilment in distant Santiago. A Romeria is a much jollier affair. Our little Collins Spanish dictionary devotes one of its occasional 'factual panels' to these events:
Romeria - originally a pilgrimage to a shrine or church to express devotion to Our Lady or a local saint. The Romeria has also become the rural fiesta which accompanies the pilgrimage. People come from all over to attend bringing their own food and drink and spend the day in celebration.
The dictionary has it, this is exactly what happened over the last few days here. What the dictionary definition can't capture is the noise, colour and intensity of the celebration, I've put together a few video clips which attempt to give a taste of the sheer joy of the Romeria, a boisterous, but good natured mixture of the sacred and profane, an assertion of all that is good about life, vivacious and bountiful. It's not often these days that you find people spontaneously bursting into song or dancing for joy in the streets....
1. The Pilgrimage
2. Dancing in the Street
3. Street Food
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