interesting article from 2018--I'm not sure it has been posted here before.

[kelleymac]

The Long View: Individualism on the Camino de Santiago

Every year thousands of pilgrims traverse ancient pathways across Europe to a remote corner of Northern Spain. Their reasons and backgrounds vary, but they all walk with a singular purpose — to rea…

theoxfordculturereview.com

 

[MesaWalker]

There is a lot to chew on in this article.

On a fall 2021 Camino Francés, many of our fellow pilgrims were coming to the Camino on the heels of a major life transition - a divorce, a death, loss of a job, retirement, etc. I think the overriding motivation was personal - getting away from the hustle of daily life and trying to gain personal insight to move forward. Nothing bad about that, and I think the Camino is a wonderful means to that end. But that's probably a far different motivation than a medieval pilgrim would have had.

It's interesting to ponder how the purpose of the Camino has morphed and adapted over the years. Thanks, kelleymac, for posting this article.

 

[Annw]

"You walk your own Camino" seems to epitomize the point.

 

[sinein]

Really interesting article, thank you.

 

[David Tallan]

An interesting article. I have to admit, though, that I was a little surprised by the line "some monasteries and churches even resurrect the same designs as were stamped over a thousand years ago" near the beginning. I have to wonder how much stamping was going on over a thousand years ago. It isn't something I've seen much of from back then.

 

[kavindra]

I was surprised to read that at the end you get your 'certificate' as long as you've done the walk 'for religious reasons'!. This sounds absurd to me.

 

[David Tallan]

I was surprised to read that at the end you get your 'certificate' as long as you've done the walk 'for religious reasons'!. This sounds absurd to me.

It is a pilgrimage route, after all, and the certificate being discussed is given by the Catholic Church. Why would it be absurd?

That said, there are many reports that the distinction is no longer being maintained and the Compostela certificate is being given to all, regardless of motivation. And, even before, people walking for non-religious reasons were not denied certificates. There was a different certificate that they received (one that did not say that they had walked for religious reasons).

 

[Bradypus]

I was surprised to read that at the end you get your 'certificate' as long as you've done the walk 'for religious reasons'!. This sounds absurd to me.

If you read the text of the Compostela you will see that it explicitly declares that the named person has made the journey to the tomb of the Apostle "with an attitude of devotion or because of a vow or promise" and "with Christian sentiment" (translation from the pilgrim office website). It was never intended to be simply a completion certificate for a long distance walk. In the fairly recent past pilgrims were expected to be prepared to explain their motives and what made their journey a pilgrimage rather than simply a walk or bike ride. But as @David Tallan has said the pilgrim office no longer make any real enquiries or distinction concerning the person's motives for walking.

 

[Stivandrer]

At my turn at the finishing counter in the Pilgrim Office, I got the question from this staff: ...and did you walk all the way? - as in a non- offensive way, just --did you manage to!? I respected this question.
I remember that I welled up, ... Yes! that was the real reward, I DID manage to walk all the steps, in spite of being totally done at the airport just before Burgos and wanted to take the final push in a bus.. Only to find that it was not coming for another 45 minutes, and how far could I walk in 45 minutes!! Then and other times, I knew my promise to myself, and that was my premise for my walk..

Only afterwards have I dispensed with this requirement, when weather and security demanded a transport...

 

[Kathar1na]

I was surprised to read that at the end you get your 'certificate' as long as you've done the walk 'for religious reasons'! This sounds absurd to me.

The article was written in 2018. It is no longer fully up to date. The line that "the credencial is verified at the end of one's pilgrimage by the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral's Pilgrim's Office and [...] the pilgrim receives their Compostela of completion as long as they state that they have undergone pilgrimage for religious reasons" simply describes the facts in the year 2018.

Until a few years ago, pilgrims wishing to obtain a Compostela certificate had to fill in a paper form and indicate their reasons for the pilgrimage. They only received a Compostela when they had ticked "religious" and/or "spiritual" - see copy of the old paper form below.

Since then, the paper form has been replaced by a digital form for online registration. Pilgrims still have to indicate their reasons for the pilgrimage but this information is used only for statistical purposes. Everyone who fills in the online form for applying for a Compostela certificate (and submits a credencial with the required stamps) receives a Compostela - see copy of the new online form below.

 

[Pafayac]

Very interesting, thanks.
However:
- "By the thirteenth century, 500,000 pilgrims were walking to Santiago each year." is far from being proven...
- One should distinguish between the reasons which lead to the St James way, which can be individualist, and the result of having walked with other pilgrims, which can be not.
I feel less individualist thanks to the Camino.