On this afternoon as I snuggle deeper under two mismatched throw blankets collected through the years, the one given to me for being a longstanding club sponsor wrapped around my feet like an overly friendly anaconda, another given to my husband long ago and emblazoned with Marines hugging my shoulders like an overly friendly recruit, outside nature is deciding whether it is truly worth the energy to thaw out, or if it should just give in and allow the snow to fall some more. The snow is fun for a few days certainly. "Let it come a blizzard!" and "Boy, we need a good snow!" echo throughout the land. But after a day or two of soup and grilled cheese, icy snowmen, and plans rescheduled and rescheduled again, what do we hear? "Whoever complains about the heat this summer gets punched!" and "I've got to get out of this house and away from these kids!" Yes, I've been there, said that, but gazing out the window my thoughts this day predictably turn to the Camino, and I wonder if it is snowing right now on any of the pilgrims going through the various mountain passes. Even in June it has been known to snow on certain parts of "The Way," so why would any sane person walk, or bike as some do, over 500 miles, with heavy packs and a myriad of uncertainties through heat and very possibly snow, to reach a cathedral in the northwest corner of Spain? Good question.
The El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, or "Camino" as it is more quickly called, is a 1000+ year old pilgrimage to the shrine of the apostle St. James the Great, where tradition maintains his remains are buried. Documents reveal James spent in the neighborhood of 12 years in Spain before returning to Jerusalem in 42 A.D. and being executed by Herod Agrippa some time later. His body was supposedly thrown over the city walls for wild animals to desecrate, but Christians recovered it first, sending it adrift on a rudderless boat for a more peaceful rest on its next landing. The boat arrived on the Galician coast of Spain enveloped with scallop shells (the same type of shells pilgrims carry and that point the way along the correct path), leading local believers to bury the body in an unknown locale. Hundreds of years later in 814 A.D., a hermit walking the countryside saw a bright star in the sky and heard celestial music, so naturally he ran to the local bishop, who ran to the king, both of whom were led to a cave with a tomb, a body, and a letter identifying the remains as James, the brother of John: the famous "sons of Thunder" of the New Testament. After what no doubt resembled drama on scale with Pillars of the Earth, a church was erected and miracles ensued.
In the beginning pilgrimages from around the world to the cathedral took place for purely religious reasons, but not so today. In 2013, over 215,000 people made the journey (from starting points of various length), but only 45% for religious reasons. Many of the remainder either have no reason for going at all (at least in the beginning), or go to decompress, declutter, or diminish life's various wounds inflicted on them. In 1779, John Adams, who made a land crossing from the Galician coast to Paris, wrote that he "...always regretted that we could not find time to make a Pilgrimage to Saint Iago de Compstella," but he doesn't mention why he wanted to go. Perhaps no one knows for sure at the outset. Perhaps, as many former pilgrims state, "Your Camino really begins after you finish your walk."
Yes, yes, yes, I hear your thoughts; they are my thoughts too. Why am I going on this pilgrimage? Hmmm, that's at the very least a blog for another day. But I can tell you this for now: if I wanted to see Spain for the first time as a tourist, I'd sure as shootin' not walk it. I'd certainly not start in St. Jean de Pied de Port, a little town in France at the base of the Pyrenees, which will force me to cross said mountains and risk...wait for it...SNOW.
So for now, let's all enjoy this season's snow...from our cozy homes. Let's do sloppy galoshes, warm cocoa by our fireplaces, forced respites, and decimated plans that we only thought were unchangeable. Buen Camino!
The El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, or "Camino" as it is more quickly called, is a 1000+ year old pilgrimage to the shrine of the apostle St. James the Great, where tradition maintains his remains are buried. Documents reveal James spent in the neighborhood of 12 years in Spain before returning to Jerusalem in 42 A.D. and being executed by Herod Agrippa some time later. His body was supposedly thrown over the city walls for wild animals to desecrate, but Christians recovered it first, sending it adrift on a rudderless boat for a more peaceful rest on its next landing. The boat arrived on the Galician coast of Spain enveloped with scallop shells (the same type of shells pilgrims carry and that point the way along the correct path), leading local believers to bury the body in an unknown locale. Hundreds of years later in 814 A.D., a hermit walking the countryside saw a bright star in the sky and heard celestial music, so naturally he ran to the local bishop, who ran to the king, both of whom were led to a cave with a tomb, a body, and a letter identifying the remains as James, the brother of John: the famous "sons of Thunder" of the New Testament. After what no doubt resembled drama on scale with Pillars of the Earth, a church was erected and miracles ensued.
In the beginning pilgrimages from around the world to the cathedral took place for purely religious reasons, but not so today. In 2013, over 215,000 people made the journey (from starting points of various length), but only 45% for religious reasons. Many of the remainder either have no reason for going at all (at least in the beginning), or go to decompress, declutter, or diminish life's various wounds inflicted on them. In 1779, John Adams, who made a land crossing from the Galician coast to Paris, wrote that he "...always regretted that we could not find time to make a Pilgrimage to Saint Iago de Compstella," but he doesn't mention why he wanted to go. Perhaps no one knows for sure at the outset. Perhaps, as many former pilgrims state, "Your Camino really begins after you finish your walk."
Yes, yes, yes, I hear your thoughts; they are my thoughts too. Why am I going on this pilgrimage? Hmmm, that's at the very least a blog for another day. But I can tell you this for now: if I wanted to see Spain for the first time as a tourist, I'd sure as shootin' not walk it. I'd certainly not start in St. Jean de Pied de Port, a little town in France at the base of the Pyrenees, which will force me to cross said mountains and risk...wait for it...SNOW.
So for now, let's all enjoy this season's snow...from our cozy homes. Let's do sloppy galoshes, warm cocoa by our fireplaces, forced respites, and decimated plans that we only thought were unchangeable. Buen Camino!