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| From Les Useres to San Juan de Penyagolosa, thirteen quiet pilgrims On the last Friday of April, for almost seven centuries, thirteen quiet men go from Les Useres to San Juan de Penyagolosa to request rain and peace for their town. They are the Pilgrims of Les Useres. Silence that they are arriving. The tradition of The Pelegrins (The pilgrims) goes back to the XIV century, in the middle of the Middle Age, when it was celebrated for the first time to request health, peace and rain from the sky - da nobis salutem et pacem, et pluviam de caeli- to relieve these territories of the plague, wars and the drought. Faithful to this tradition, the twelve pilgrims and the pilgrim guide start walking after a basic breakfast. The carregues, the depositario, the cook and the water carrier march ahead. They are followed by the promises, the three singers carrying a cross and two candelabra, the priest who carries a relic of San Juan Baptist, the clavarios and the municipal representative. The group walks in silence across the areas of Lucena, Xodos and Vistabella through stone and bushes footpaths that make difficult a route that is more than 35 kilometres long. During the pilgrimage they invoke the saint of each village and hermitage. This way, in Les Useres they invoke San Juan Baptist, San Miguel Arcángel at the San Miquel hermitage in Torroselles, in Llucena, San Pedro Apostle in Xodos and near the Sanctuary of San Juan de Penyagolosa they invoke San Juan Baptist again. The pilgrims celebrate a mass, rest and eat at the hermitage of Sant Miquel of Torroselles. At night, after having rested near Xodos, they arrive at San Joan de Penyagolosa. There, they take their shoes off, they go inside the hermitage and they celebrate a procession with the image of San Juan Baptist. Later, the pilgrims rest in a humble room called the Cova dels Pelegrins (Cave of the Pilgrims), they have supper and at night, next to the people that go with them, they sing Completas (the final prayer of the day). The way back begins at one in the afternoon and they arrive at Useres at night. Each pilgrim carries a light and they go from the hermitage of Loreto to the parochial temple, where the romería (procession) finishes. City council Tel. 964 38 86 09 More Information: TOURIST INFO CASTELLÓN Seat Maria Agustina, 5, low 12003 CASTELLÓN Telephone: 964358688/Fax: 964358689 castellon@touristinfo.net | ||
