www.soltimes.com
SOLTIMES MAY 2010
El Rocio P ilgrimage
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to recapture the spirit of A pilgrimage of oxcarts and horse-drawn wagons that allows the faithful romería - pilgrimage - in popular most the doubt without is Rocio El . Andalucia’s most famous romería of miracle Nuestra Señora del Rocío, Andalucia, and perhaps in all of Spain. The Romería commemorates the with fertility & magical powers. credited is a statue of the Madonna which was found in El Rocio and
The first romería brotherhoods were established towards the end of the 17th century, and in 1758 the brotherhood of Almonte drew up the beginnings of the set of rules that we know today. According to these rules, the pilgrims must follow the route either on horseback, on foot or by cart, and they must wear flamenco costume dress. They must accompany the Simpecado, the oxcart that houses the Virgen. The different brotherhoods set out from different parts of Spain, especially from Andalucia, and the village somehow finds room for more than a million pilgrims. A Sunday Mass is held for the multitude in El Real, the site of the romería, with offerings and prayers. The festivities continue as the pilgrims of El Rocio form rings, improvise songs or dance to the sound of a small drum, usually helped along by copious quantities of wine. On the Monday, at dawn, the Salto de la Reja takes place. This is the privilege of the brotherhood of Almonte, as they take the
Virgin out of the shrine and parade her through the crowd who acclaim her as Queen of the marshes, and The White Dove.
on to their shoulders. Then, the portable platform is paraded around the whole village, with a stop at most of the houses of the different brotherhoods until midday on Monday. So, the Virgin goes around the village for twelve long hours until she is returned to her altar and the main part of the pilgrimage ends.
Then the proces sion moves to the headquarters of each of the different brotherh o o d s , where the Salve is sung, until the Virgin is finally taken away again and the festivities
The pilgrimage of El Rocío is an instrumental part of the history and natural surroundings of Doñana. It is , by all accounts, a strange marriage between Europe’s largest pilgrimage and one of the world’s most significant national parks, but with seven centuries of shared tradition and legend bring together a pilgrimage brimming with spirituality and warmth.
end. After the Rosary a solemn procession through the village begins and ends at the Hermitage at 2 or 3 a.m. Nuestra Señora del Rocío is paraded before the faithful, early on the Sunday morning. Once the processional banner of the Parent Brotherhood is safe in the Hermitage, the culmination of EI Rocío occurs - the Salto de la Verja or “Leap Over the Railings”. The many young men from Almonte in the Hermitage literally leap over the iron grille railing protecting the altar and hoist the portable platform carrying the image of the Virgin
Celebrate World Turtle Day
Spanish Without Tears Complaints Alguna queja? Any complaints? (alGOOnah KEha)
Quejar means to complain or moan about Someone who is always complaining might be described as a quejón or quejona, if a woman. Refunfuñar is an almost onomatopoeic word for ‘to grumble’, and those that do almost always have a cara de mala leche – a face like sour milk! If you need to make a complaint about a product or service, you need to reclamar. In this case, you may need to ask for the Hoja de Reclamaciones, the complaint book that all establishments are obliged to keep. Una reclamación (a complaint) might be made if something doesn’t work –no funciona – doesn’t function. Trabajo is the sort of work that is Not a question to be asked lightly!
#
something.
done for money or, unpaid, about the house … in which case you may find yourself
refunfuñando again!
Would you like to learn more? 10-week courses run in Albox – small groups and focusing on speaking skills. For more information call Jo on 637 26 71 50 or call into Craft & Hobby just up from Mercadona.
World Turtle Day is celebrated worldwide on 23rd May. Its main aim is to bring attention to, increase knowledge of & respect for both turtles and tortoises; encouraging human action to help them survive and thrive. For more information GO TO: www.chilledturtle.co.uk
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