Some come alone, others travel in organized groups, and most walk in
twos and threes. Some ride bikes
but the majority are on foot. They
come from Spain and France, from England and Germany. A few are from North America. Some cover all 500 or so miles while
others walk only the most scenic parts, using the bus or train to skip the more
tedious sections. Nearly everyone
carries a staff or uses trekking poles and most attach a scallop shell to their
packs. They are the “caminantes”
on the Way of Saint James. And
their destination is Santiago de Compostela.
The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, El Camino de Santiago, was considered one of the
three most important in Christendom, along with Rome and Jerusalem, and the
devout have been making the journey for more than one thousand years. They come to the Cathedral of Santiago
de Compostela to pay homage to the remains of Saint James. In case you haven’t kept up on your
saints, James was one of the twelve apostles and the first to become a
martyr. Of the several miracles
attributed to him, his appearance more 1000 years after his death to fight for the Christians against the Moors
made him the patron saint of Spain.
His bones, which were MIA for centuries, now supposedly rest in the
Cathedral.
When the pilgrims finally reach the plaza the atmosphere probably
isn’t much different than it was hundreds of years ago. There is still music and reunions,
buskers and beer, food and wine.
Bagpipes and drums are reminders of the Celts who made the journey. No doubt there are still pickpockets
and prostitutes among the masses.
There is a feeling of pride and perhaps piety, too, among the
caminantes. And certainly relief
at journey’s end. After a
visit to the cathedral to hug the statue and honor the remains of St. James, followed by the traditional fish dinner, for most it is back to
work. Many, I suppose, have
trouble readjusting after four to six weeks on the Camino. I imagine a number of romantic liaisons
developed along the way and wouldn’t be surprised if the stress of the journey helped end a
marriage or two.
I confess! Heathens
that we are, Connie and I did not walk the Camino de Santiago. It would have been a logistic nightmare
since we have everything we own with us.
We have backpacked throughout Colorado, in the Canadian Rockies and in
the Swiss Alps and, frankly, we just weren’t interested. We followed the route by train from
Pamplona to Burgos, Leon and finally Santiago and have watched the pilgrims’
progress. May God bless them!
