Camino de Santiago: Arrival & Celebration
Expect the Unexpected
"To journey without being changed is to be a nomad. To change without journeying is to be a chameleon. To journey and to be transformed by the journeying is to be a pilgrim." - Mark Nepo
After many days of trudging it out on the Camino, my first awe-inspiring sight of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral was like a surreal dream.
Is this REALLY it? Am I dreaming, or have I FINALLY arrived?
The atmosphere was vibrant and teeming with excitement as pilgrims from all over the globe mingled in the squares surrounding the famous 11th-century cathedral.
After a LONG restful sleep and a LUXURIOUS warm shower, Hubs and I headed to the Pilgrims Office to show our credentials and receive our Pilgrims’ Compostelas. The maze of narrow streets and squares surrounding the Cathedral was a navigational challenge.
We could have used just a few more of those yellow arrows that had conveniently directed our path along the Camino. Finally… the familiar directive!
Starting in the 10th century, pilgrims arriving in Santiago de Compostela were accredited with badges in the shape of clam shells. Pilgrim badges conferred social and religious considerations upon the bearer, so they were highly valued. It didn’t take long before enterprising hucksters seized the opportunity to mass-produce the clam-shaped badges and sell them for a bundle of money. Ultimately, the badges became worthless, and the Catholic Church went back to the drawing board to initiate a more accountable system for accrediting pilgrims of the Camino.
Modern-day pilgrims have the option to receive either a Pilgrim’s Compostela or a Certificate of Distance.
The Pilgrim’s Certificate of Distance recognizes the pilgrim for the distance walked without stipulating any other criteria.
To qualify for the Pilgrim’s Compostela, the following criteria must be met:
Make the pilgrimage for religious or spiritual reasons, or an attitude of search.
Do the last 100 km on foot or horseback, or the last 200 km by bicycle.
Collect the stamps on the “Credencial de Peregrino” from designated places along the Camino.
Last year, 446,035 pilgrims registered at the Pilgrims Office. That DOES NOT count all those who walked but DID NOT register! Statistically, one-quarter of the pilgrims walk the Camino for their own personal reasons, and the remainder report they are walking for “religious or spiritual” reasons.
The Pilgrims Office anticipates over 500,000 pilgrims will walk the Camino de Santiago this year.
Holding tightly to our hard-earned Compostelas, Hubs and I were barely out the door of the Pilgrims Office when we heard a familiar voice, “Hey, you two! You made it! It’s me, Tex!”
Tex was the self-designated Camino expert who boisterously shared his experience with all the “newbie” pilgrims on our first night on the road. He had a loud booming voice that commanded attention. The message he stressed? “Push through the pain and don’t give up!” The truth is that Tex had never walked the Camino; his deceased wife was the experienced pilgrim. Tex and his son were carrying her ashes on one final pilgrimage.
Hubs and I crossed paths with Tex during our second day on the Camino. Apparently, he didn’t follow his own advice. Rather than pushing through the pain, he decided to give up, get a hotel room, and lounge for the day. He planned to take a taxi and catch up with his son the following evening. Tex tried his best to get us to join him. We bid him “Buen Camino” and went on our way.
Here was Tex again, waving his COMPOSTELA in the air while yapping about arriving in Santiago two days earlier. Tex was proud and beaming about the accomplishment.
It didn’t add up. He did not pass us on the Camino, and he arrived a DAY BEFORE we did?? I’ll let you figure out how many taxi cabs he took. Bottom line - his taxi shenanigans made him INELIGIBLE for the Compostela. Tex lied to get the Compostela. Well, to each his own. I’m not Tex, and that’s his business.
I walked every single inch from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela, and that is ALL I needed to focus on.
The Pilgrim’s Mass is the BIG EVENT in the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral. Each day, the pilgrims who have completed their Pilgrimage are individually acknowledged, along with their country of origin.
The Pilgrim’s Mass is open to people of all walks, faiths, and denominations.
Every pilgrim hopes to see the famous BOTAFUMEIRO at their Pilgrim’s Mass. If you aren’t familiar with the botafumeiro, here’s the scoop on it. In its simplest terms, the botafumeiro is a very large incense burner. The container of the botafumeiro, which holds the incense and coal, is called the thurible.
The smoke rising from the thurible is symbolic of the prayers of the people, while the fragrance of the incense falling upon them is symbolic of God’s adoration.
The botafumeiro has been a tradition in the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral since the 11th century. However, throughout Medieval times, the botafumeiro was used primarily to mask the stench of the pilgrims - many of whom had traveled for weeks or even months without bathing or washing their clothing. Frankincense, the incense burned in the thurible, is especially noted for its purifying qualities, so it was used to kill the diseases and ailments brought to Santiago by the multitudes of pilgrims. No doubt the priests appreciated that!
The current botafumeiro, made in 1971, stands 5 feet in height and weighs 120 pounds empty, 240 pounds full. It is hoisted by a pulley system by eight men, called tiraboleiros, who pull on 195 feet of rope, to raise the incense burner 72 feet in the air and send it swinging in a pendulum motion, back and forth 17 times through the cathedral, at speeds up to 43 mph!
Hold on! Think about that! A HOT incense burner, weighing 240 pounds, dangling on thick ropes tied in sailor’s knots, hurls back and forth over your head at 43 miles per hour, dispensing the subtle aroma of frankincense and smoke! It whips back over to the opposite ceiling of the cathedral, reaching a height of 82 feet - where it is momentarily suspended in time - then it catapults back like a pendulum repeating the action.
There is only one way to truly experience the impact of this phenomenal ceremony. It is a very memorable and touching recognition of a long Pilgrim’s Journey.
DON’T SKIP THE VIDEO. This is one of the only places in the world where the botafumeiro is still used. And this is one of the largest on the planet. Enjoy!
Although I may have traveled all the roads,
crossed mountains and valleys from East to West,
if I have not discovered the freedom to be myself,
I have arrived nowhere.
Although I may have shared all of my possessions
with people of other languages and cultures;
made friends with Pilgrims of a thousand paths,
or shared albergues with saints and princes,
if I am not capable of forgiving my neighbor tomorrow,
I have arrived nowhere.
Although I may have carried my pack from beginning to end
and waited for every Pilgrim in need of encouragement,
or given my bed to one who arrived later than I,
given my bottle of water in exchange for nothing;
if upon returning to my home and work,
I am not able to create brotherhood
or make happiness, peace and unity,
I have arrived nowhere.
Although I may have had food and water each day,
and enjoyed a roof and shower every night;
or may have had my injuries well attended,
If I have not discovered in all that the love of God,
I have arrived nowhere.
Although I may have seen all the monuments
and contemplated the best sunsets;
although I may have learned a greeting in every language
or tried the clean water from every fountain;
if I have not discovered who is the author
of so much free beauty and so much peace,
I have arrived nowhere.
If from today I do not continue walking on my path,
searching far and living according to what I have learned;
if from today I do not see in every person, friend or foe
a companion on the Camino;
if from today I cannot recognize God,
the God of Jesus of Nazareth
as the one God of my life,
I have arrived nowhere.
Fraydino
If you haven’t walked the Camino, I hope this series will inspire you to visit Spain and start walking!
Thank you for sharing your Camino Pilgrimage, Lois. That video is worth the watch and quite impressive. I like the poem by Fraydino and the repeating theme of charitable acts.
I really enjoyed reading your thoughts and inspirations from your walk on the Camino. I loved your poem at the end. That, along with the video of the incense burning, it's really a perfect way to end your series and your amazing hike. Reading your stories, it sounds like the camino, really changed you and what a beautiful experience to have. Peace.