Pilgrimage to the Blanca Paloma Shrine in the village of El Rocío
Tourist and holiday information for Spain including concerts, gigs & shows. El Rocio PilgrimagePilgrimage to the Blanca Paloma Shrine in the village of El RocíoAlmonte (Huelva). 1st June 2009
(always 50 days after Easter)One of the most important pilgrimages in Spain and over a million people take part in the 17 kilometres pilgrimage on foot, horse back or cart. The brotherhoods from around the region begin their journey earlier in the week dressed in traditional flamenco clothing and follow the ancient footpaths to the mouth of the River Guadalquivir.The fiestas atmosphere increases throughout the pilgrimage as the crowd gets larger and groups join up. The evenings are held around camp fires with flamenco singing and dancing.Once all the brotherhoods arrive a parade is held on the Saturday to the statue of The Virgin Mary in the Blanca Paloma Shrine of El Rocio where the standards are presented whilst the church bells ring.
Our Lady of Rocio - The White Dove The fiestas continues throughout Saturday night. On Sunday there are church services then the fiestas continues for the rest of the day and throughout the night.On Monday the main event is the local people jumping over the fence to bring The Statue of The Virgin Mary out to parade around the town.After the parade the fiesta is over. The Patron Saint of El Rocío is Our Lady of Rocio (Our Lady of The Dew). The tradition dates back to the 1700's when a shepherd ( or some say it was a hunter) found a statue of the Virgin Mary in a tree trunk near the sandy beaches inscribed with the words " María de Los Remedios me llamo"(“I am called Mary of Remedies”). It is believed that perhaps the image was hidden during the late period of the Reconquest to prevent vandalism it was a period of turmoil and intolerance in Spanish History, when both Christians and Muslims destroyed religious relics when they conquered an area. It is believed that Christians of the town of Rocinas (ancient name of El Rocío) removed the image of The Virgin Mary around the 1400's and place it in the woods to spare it from any sort of damage, only to be forgotten for many years.Each year before the Sunday of Pentecost over thousands of Spanish people make a pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Virgen del Rocío (Our Lady of the Dew), at the edge of the Doñana National Park in southern Spain. 
Pilgrims known as rocieros, travel for weeks, by foot, ox carts, horseback, car or plane from all over Spain, Europe, and The World. Most will assemble in Seville and other large cities in Southern Spain with one of many caravans organized by the "official fraternities" of Our Lady of Rocío. Dressed in traditional flamenco costumes pilgrims began the last leg of the pilgrimage in brightly-decorated horse-drawn carriages, as part of caravans traversing the Andalucian countryside.
May
Over a million people and around one hundred brotherhoods enjoy this incredibly popular festival in Spain and the wonderful friendly atmosphere of this pilgrimage to the village of El Rocío in Andalucia. Almonte
Huelva / Andalusia
Tourist Office: Calle Alonso Pérez, 1 21730 Almonte (Huelva)
Tel. +34 959450616
Huelva
Tourist Office:
Avenida de la Constitución, 21 B - 41001 Seville (Seville)
Tel. +34 954787578 Fax +34 954787579
website Tourist Office:
Plaza Alcalde Coto Mora, 2 - 21001
Huelva (Huelva)
Tel. +34 959650200 +34 959650202
website Andalusia
Tourist Office:
Avenida de la Constitución, 21 B - 41001 Seville (Seville)
Tel. +34 954787578 Beginning on Wednesday before Pentecost Sunday, devotees of the Virgen del Rocío participate in a joyous celebration blending religion and festive local flavour. , huge processions of flower-decorated wagon carts carrying the Standard (Sinpecado) of their fraternities converge in the village of Almonte (El Rocío), a small town 50km from Seville. The celebrations conclude with the solemn mass and procession of the Statue of the Virgen del Rocío on Monday of Pentecost.
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