Your Andalucia Villas And The Pilgrimage To El Rocio

From your ANDALUCIA VILLAS you are about to embark on an unbelievable journey through history

. It starts with the El Rocio pilgrimage, probably the most famous in this region of Spain. Once you see this place it might surprise you to know some one million people make this journey each year from far and wide. All of Andalucian towns, cities and villages have a pilgrimage to celebrate its patron saint, virgin or well loved local person. The El Roco pilgrimage has been elevated to a cult status and is considered to be the most colourful and important. First come Semana Santa and other Ferias including Seville's in April; it's the biggest on the calendar then it's time for El Rocio.

This story begins sometime in the 13th century when a hunter emanating from Villamanrique found a statue of the Virgin Mary tucked away in a tree trunk in what is today Donana Park. There are a number of versions of this story. Apparently a chapel was built where the tree once stood hence becoming a place of pilgrimage. Initially this was a local affair attracting people from the immediate area. As time moved on so did the legend, growing in popularity and belief each time it was told and retold. With the 17th century approaching the brotherhoods were themselves making trips during Pentecost from the surrounding villages. By the 19th century you couldn't hold them back, they were making journeys from everywhere including Huelva, Cadiz and Seville, some of them travelling up to four days to reach this religious site. With the next century on the horizon, a time of growth was fast approaching; the Virgin del Rocio reached its cult status with knowledge of its beginnings becoming known throughout the land. This enticed pilgrims to travel from as far away as Barcelona and the Canary Islands; there was even talk of Europe and the rest of the world.

Try and picture the little village of El Rocio is reminiscent of a Wild West town complete with a wooden rail to tie your horse. You knew this because there was a sign saying "Reservado Caballos" this would allow you time for a drink or a meal then it was back on your horse to ride down sandy unpaved roads. By this time the Virgin de Rocio had her own church in town attracting the brotherhoods and other flocks in the droves from all over Spain and beyond. The pilgrimage took place in late May or early June for a few days devotees paid tribute to the Virgin.

Up until the 1950s the town consisted of a few houses: far from your normal ANDALUCIA VILLAS with most of the pilgrims camping in wagons. But now there are some ninety houses built for each of the brotherhoods along with stables for their horses including a private chapel where they could worship. You knew which one belongs to each brotherhood as their name was emblazoned on the front door. During the pilgrimage weekend, its members and family including their horses ate and sleep here. This has become a time to party including prayers recited in an open air mass. This was a time of competitions starting with horse races by the brotherhoods; afterwards there was singing and dancing which carried on all day and night long. The houses are used throughout the year not just at pilgrimage time, with their families in tow it's time for a big fiesta. It's time to celebrate.

by: Porsche Klinger

POST COMMENT

Real Tai Chi Chuan And The Problem With Beavis And Butthead How To Aid Teens Avoid Alcohol And Drug Addiction Flyers And Your Band Jointly And Severally Liable Judgment Debtors Rehab Centers And The World Today Bluehost Offer Is For Anybody And Everybody Marketing With Ezines Can Be Quite Effective And We Are Going To Look At Ezine Marketing And Adverti Risk Control Through Selling And Diversification The Collaborative Divorce Process And How It Might Help Great Drywall Solutions And Tips Bsc Body Science - Focusing On Physical Health And Fitness Thru Fresh Nutritional Supplements Bear Market Recovery And Replacing Stock Laggards Easy And Great Ways To Manage Back Problems In Pregnancy