The Camino de Santiago is traditionally a religious pilgrimage, but it’s so much more than that. As you walk through Spain, France, Portugal and Italy, you will inevitably experience many different cultural customs, festivals and events. Experiencing as many of these cultural events as possible will help make your Camino experience even more unforgettable. While St. James Day is the most well-known event taking place along the Camino de Santiago, it certainly isn’t the only one. Hopefully our Culture & Events articles will help inspire your trip and help you decide what dates you want to walk. Maybe there’s a festival or two you absolutely don’t want to miss.
5 Special Places To Experience The Camino at Easter Easter, Semana Santa or Holy Week, sees widespread celebrations in Spain, with towns and cities along the Camino de Santiago staging grand processions. A wide array of destinations offers diverse experiences of the Camino at Easter. From coastal celebrations to famous locations or traditional settings, the […]
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Portomarín’s Historical Charm Portomarín, nestled in the heart of Galicia, Spain, stands as a testament to the enduring spirit of history and culture. As a vital stop on the Camino Francés, one of the Camino de Santiago‘s most traversed routes, this town captivates travellers with its rich heritage and picturesque setting. In this blog, we
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Celebrate St James’ Day With 10% Off Your Camino July 25th marks a double celebration in Galicia: the feast of Saint James (or Santiago, Sant Iago in Galician), and it is also Galicia’s National Day. To celebrate St James’ Day, we have a special offer running until the end of the month: All new bookings
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Camino Culture: The Galician Hórreo If you are walking the Camino de Santiago, you will start noticing some exciting structures close to most homes in rural areas as you enter Galicia. These rectangular structures are granaries called ‘hórreos’, a widespread construction across rural Galicia. Their function is to store grain and other food crops for
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The Camino is full of interesting facts and phrases, and it’s always a delight to learn of another one. You might have heard or seen the word ‘Ultreia’ mentioned when researching, reading, or while walking the Camino de Santiago. The word “Ultreia” is derived from the Latin word “ultra,” which means “beyond” or “farther.” In
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The scallop shell is one of the most iconic symbols of the Camino de Santiago. Today, it is used, along with the yellow arrow, to guide pilgrims heading to Santiago de Compostela along its many different Camino routes. Painted on trees, sidewalks, tiles, etc… the scallop shell (or ‘Vieira’ in Galician and Spanish) will help
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New Year’s Eve is a time of celebration all around the world, even on the Camino de Santiago. From counting down to midnight and whatever New Year’s Eve tradition you adopt at home, it’s a time when we reflect on the good things the year has brought (and maybe even say good riddance to some
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Santos Inocentes: The Story Behind Spain’s Day of Mischief We all love a bit of mischief, whether it’s pranks or playfully mocking your friends and family. As long as it’s in good fun and on a specific day, fooling someone with your wily charms is a great use of your time. While most of us
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8 Unique Camino Rituals Rituals and traditions established by pilgrims in medieval times have continued to the present day. In celebration of these wonderful Camino de Santiago traditions, we want to share a few of our favourite unique Camino rituals. From the classic pilgrim greeting to iconic stops along the Camino routes, there are many
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There are many wonderful festivals taking place throughout the year on the Camino de Santiago. One of these is O Magosto, Galicia’s classic autumn festival. This festival welcomes the winter season and is dedicated to one special product: the chestnut. If you are travelling along one of the Camino routes in late October and November,
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Useful Galician for your Camino trip While on the Camino de Santiago, you will encounter and befriend fellow pilgrims of many nationalities and many languages, particularly as you get closer to Santiago de Compostela. You might have learnt a bit of Spanish before but did you know Galicia has its own language? It is called ‘galego’, Galician.
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The Camino Plenary Indulgence You can get the Camino Plenary Indulgence (also known as “The Jubilee”), by walking the Camino’s last 100km or Cycling the Camino’s last 200km to Santiago de Compostela. The doctrine and practice of indulgences in the Church are closely linked to the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession). An Indulgence is the complete
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Experience Holy Week in Italy – Unmissable Easter Events in Rome Are you planning to finish your Via Francigena walk in Rome this Easter? Holy Week is one of the most important weeks in the Catholic calendar, so this is a special time to spend a few days in Italy’s capital. If you find yourself in
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Halloween is right around the corner so it’s no surprise that we’re getting into the spooky spirit. Whether you’re a fan of ghosts and ghouls or just a little bit superstitious, you can add some ghostly fun to your walk with these 7 spooky Camino facts! As we know, the Camino de Santiago takes walkers
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With Halloween just around the corner, we must remind you to beware of the Santa Compaña (‘Holy Company’) while on your travels along the Camino de Santiago in Galicia, especially at this time of the year. The Santa Compaña is a procession of dead souls feared by most Galicians. This very unique procession of restless
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“As great boardgames players that we are, we missed a game that brought up the heritage, curiosities and magical traditions of Galicia and its Xacobean routes until we realized that we had to do it ourselves, it combines many of our great passions” Introducing Ultreia, the Camino Game! Ultreia, the first card game of the
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In 2019 we conducted a survey at CaminoWays.com that threw up some interesting results regarding the reasons why people walk the Camino. The popularity of the Camino has exploded in recent years, with 277,913 certificates of completion handed out in 2018 and 347, 578 handed out in 2019. While just 53, 905 pilgrims received their certifications of completion
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Melide: oldest ‘Cruceiro’ in Galicia The lively market town of Melide, along the last section of the Camino Frances from Sarria, is home to what it’s believed to be Galicia’s oldest wayside cross, or ‘Cruceiro’. It is known as the Cruceiro de Melide. In the town centre, you’ll find this cross beside the Chapel of
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The Pilgrims were people who traveled from England to the Netherlands and then to New England by the beginning of the 17th century. They are nowadays easily related to Thanksgiving Day because, after the first harvest season in New England, they gave thanks to God and to the natives who helped them survive, celebrating for
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Ponferrada Iron bridge, the origin of the name The history of the city of Ponferrada, on the Camino Frances, is linked to the Camino de Santiago from its very origins, as the town developed as a settlement on the road to Santiago in the Middle Ages. Bishop Osmundo from Astorga ordered to build Ponferrada Iron
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