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On my first Camino in 2008 I went to my Parish Priest and asked for his blessing for my trip. He refused initially until I explained what it was I was about to undertake. He knew what a pilgrimage was but nothing specific to Santiago. It was quite awkward as my expectation was that it would be well known and recognized amongst the clergy.There is a common custom that the Camino "starts" at Saint-Jean Pied-de-Port, although many French believe it "starts" at Le Puy en Velay -- but it's just a custom. The Camino starts where you start it, and whilst preferably that would be from home / from the altar of your parish church, which is the original and oldest custom of this sort, most people have substituted this for customs that have been imported from hikers and backpackers who prefer to follow particular hiking trails that have been laid down with a definite start and a definite finish.
Too late for your presentation sorry ...
You know you've made it really difficult to find an appropriate like icon.That was more for me than it was for him. And lets not talk about the time I left him in a bar in Ponte de Lima.
I think collecting stamps is more of a lodging requirement than a tradtion or custom. It is part of the infrastructure of the albergue shelter system. Rules governing the collection for stamps originate in the church somewhere. It also helps prove that you have walked the last 100 k and didn’t just jump off a bus from Padron.I’m very much a novice, having only completed half of the Camino Frances in three instalments so far since June 2019.
However, saying ‘Buen Camino’ is definitely a good tradition, as is leaving something at Cruz de Ferro.
Collecting stamps is definitely a worthwhile tradition, but not sure about this running into Santiago thing (I completed the last 100 km first, so I’ve already done that bit, though I will repeat when I complete the rest of my Camino).
I think everyone has small personal ‘traditions’ some of mine include always rewarding myself with a big bottle of water and a packet of biscuits (usually Filipinos) at the end of my day’s walking, and (if I’m alone) starting out each day’s walk by listening to Ventura by Tyler Bates (theme from the film The Way). I know it’s corny, but it gets me in the mood for the next five, six or seven hours!
Tourists demand. Pilgrims thank.I've been asked to do a presentation on Walking the Modern Camino.
I have been asked several questions in advance, and some have to do with pilgrim "customs."
Specifically I have been asked about these "customs": burning your clothes in Finisterre/Muxia, dropping stones at the Cruz de Ferro, running the last few hundred meters to the cathedral, anything like that.
I will definitely tell them that burning your clothes anywhere is not a custom that should be followed! And I don't know anyone who ran the last few hundred meters to the cathedral.
Can you think of anything that is a real pilgrim custom that I should mention?
I've been asked to do a presentation on Walking the Modern Camino.
I have been asked several questions in advance, and some have to do with pilgrim "customs."
Specifically I have been asked about these "customs": burning your clothes in Finisterre/Muxia, dropping stones at the Cruz de Ferro, running the last few hundred meters to the cathedral, anything like that.
I will definitely tell them that burning your clothes anywhere is not a custom that should be followed! And I don't know anyone who ran the last few hundred meters to the cathedral.
Can you think of anything that is a real pilgrim custom that I should mention?
DON'T DO IT!!!! YOU MAY BE CRUCIFIED BY THIS GROUP.So, @trecile, you are going to use photos and other visuals in your Zoom talk ☺ ? You could practice beforehand with volunteers from the forum .... We would just have to bear in mind that we would be playing participants who don't know a thing about walking to Santiago.
This "custom" featured in the BBC programme "Pilgrimage". The keyholder dismissed it as a sort of urban myth.en Eunate, some pilgrims walk bare foot around the church, it is said to give you a lot of telluric energy, which I doubt, but in any case, it is a very good massage for your feet, unless you have open blisters, it cools the foot down and estimulates circulation if you walk on those pebbles!
A custom that's not happening much in these days of COVID scare, I surmise.No-one's mentined carrying a shell...or the way it's different now than it was when people walked from home to home and brought the shell home with them.
Or the pilgrim's mass, and that moment when you hear the part of the reading the list of daily numbers of arrivals that includes you.
And hugging the statue/paying respects at the crypt
And if you are lucky, getting to see the botafumerio swing.
I am sorry that my first Camino was too late to enter the cathedral through the Portico de Gloria and so missing the old traditions that came with that. I always find it very moving that so many pilgrims hands have touched the base of the tree of Jesse there that there is a handprint worn into the Stone. That's a millennium of time and many pilgrims.
I totally agree with this. When I am home, I'm home. As soon as I step out my door, my journey - to wherever - begins.... The Camino starts where you start it, and whilst preferably that would be from home / from the altar of your parish church...
The part from Burgos to Sarria is fantastic! The Meseta is a wonderful stretch (the best), despite what some people say.I’m very much a novice, having only completed half of the Camino Frances in three instalments so far since June 2019.
However, saying ‘Buen Camino’ is definitely a good tradition, as is leaving something at Cruz de Ferro.
Collecting stamps is definitely a worthwhile tradition, but not sure about this running into Santiago thing (I completed the last 100 km first, so I’ve already done that bit, though I will repeat when I complete the rest of my Camino).
I think everyone has small personal ‘traditions’ some of mine include always rewarding myself with a big bottle of water and a packet of biscuits (usually Filipinos) at the end of my day’s walking, and (if I’m alone) starting out each day’s walk by listening to Ventura by Tyler Bates (theme from the film The Way). I know it’s corny, but it gets me in the mood for the next five, six or seven hours!
The presentation was recorded, but I have no desire to watch it, being my own worst critic.So, @trecile, you are going to use photos and other visuals in your Zoom talk ☺ ? You could practice beforehand with volunteers from the forum .... We would just have to bear in mind that we would be playing participants who don't know a thing about walking to Santiago.
I didn't walk barefoot at Eunate, but I did at the botanical garden in Azofra where it is encouraged. That cool grass felt so wonderful on my tired feet!en Eunate, some pilgrims walk bare foot around the church, it is said to give you a lot of telluric energy, which I doubt, but in any case, it is a very good massage for your feet,
Maybe to pay more than the base amount at albergues when you can.I've been asked to do a presentation on Walking the Modern Camino.
I have been asked several questions in advance, and some have to do with pilgrim "customs."
Specifically I have been asked about these "customs": burning your clothes in Finisterre/Muxia, dropping stones at the Cruz de Ferro, running the last few hundred meters to the cathedral, anything like that.
I will definitely tell them that burning your clothes anywhere is not a custom that should be followed! And I don't know anyone who ran the last few hundred meters to the cathedral.
Can you think of anything that is a real pilgrim custom that I should mention?
Please don't be shy, and show us: We are cheering on you! I am totally convinced you did a GREAT job!The presentation was recorded, but I have no desire to watch it, being my own worst critic.
A good collection of "customs" @trecile, and good luck with the presentation.I have changed this part of my presentation from Pilgrim Customs to Camino Culture.
I've included wearing a scallop shell, greeting fellow pilgrims with "buen Camino" or if you're fancy "ultreia."Enjoying some wine at the Irache wine fountain (but not too much!). Communal meals, either in albergues or getting together as a group in a restaurant. Posing with the sculputures on Alto de Perdón, leaving a stone at Cruz de Ferro, hugging the St James statue in the Cathedral, and watching the Botafumeiro swing.
Ahh, I missed this post. So, my "good luck" above should now become "well done".The presentation was recorded, but I have no desire to watch it, being my own worst critic.
What about the 'buen camino' greeting as you are walking? (if that's the correct spelling...). And grafitti should be a big no, leaving rubbish also.I've been asked to do a presentation on Walking the Modern Camino.
I have been asked several questions in advance, and some have to do with pilgrim "customs."
Specifically I have been asked about these "customs": burning your clothes in Finisterre/Muxia, dropping stones at the Cruz de Ferro, running the last few hundred meters to the cathedral, anything like that.
I will definitely tell them that burning your clothes anywhere is not a custom that should be followed! And I don't know anyone who ran the last few hundred meters to the cathedral.
Can you think of anything that is a real pilgrim custom that I should mention?
Like soldiers - leave no man behind.
You gave me a good laugh with the self-deprecating funny comment. Thanks for the humor!Yes, I was a good soldier leaving no pilgrim behind on the camino, because all pilgrims, young and old, walked faster than me.
Some years ago, I attended the funeral of a family friend who'd had a distinguished military career. Several of the men who had served with him were there, and one of them led a toast at the reception with the following preamble, which was new to me, but must be quite well known: "The Navy is rich in traditions. The Army has its customs. In the Air Force, all we have is a few dirty habits, but one that means a lot to us is to raise a glass ... "I never said it was a "good" custom - customs can be bad, and even criminal (just like habits can be good or bad). And did say it was custom that shouldn't be encouraged.
Our brains seem to be hardwired to attribute power to inanimate objects - talismans. They seem to be present in every culture.After placing the stone, for some reason that I cannot comprehend, I get very emotional and have to go and sit on a seat in the shelter to the right of the Cruz to wait for the tears to stop. The other goes into the sea at Finisterre. For me, this is my companion from home to the end of my pilgrimage.
The problem is that on many sections it has become custom in the sense that is is a habit of a significantly large number of pilgrims... which fits the definition of a custom. There is obviously a sense that many want to leave a mark that they walked the camino, often meaning scrawling their name somewhere. I agree it is a nasty habit, but I think it has spiralled into a nasty custom... despite the fact that many would never even consider doing this "custom" for themselves, we all end up have to life with it on the camino.Some years ago, I attended the funeral of a family friend who'd had a distinguished military career. Several of the men who had served with him were there, and one of them led a toast at the reception with the following preamble, which was new to me, but must be quite well known: "The Navy is rich in traditions. The Army has its customs. In the Air Force, all we have is a few dirty habits, but one that means a lot to us is to raise a glass ... "
With that in mind, I don't think we should elevate pilgrim graffiti by calling it a custom. Scrawling ones name or a banal message on an object along the way is at best a dirty habit - on a par with dumping trash in the countryside or failing to leave a donation at a donativo albergue ...
The tradition of donativo hospitality surely merits a place in the list of (dying) camino customs.
And so why are they always kicking everybody out of the Albergue’s early? I guess that’s a rhetorical question.- Going to sleep early and waking up early, something that's counter-cultural in Spain!
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Well, it would seem that we have identified what we disagree on. I don't think that "custom" equates merely to something habitual. (and I supported my argument with examples of habits that are not customs). You clearly do. On the other hand I don't. Whereas you do ...The problem is that on many sections it has become custom in the sense that is is a habit of a significantly large number of pilgrims... which fits the definition of a custom. There is obviously a sense that many want to leave a mark that they walked the camino, often meaning scrawling their name somewhere. I agree it is a nasty habit, but I think it has spiralled into a nasty custom... despite the fact that many would never even consider doing this "custom" for themselves, we all end up have to life with it on the camino.
Happy to come to the conclusion the issue is how we define customWell, it would seem that we have identified what we disagree on. I don't think that "custom" equates merely to something habitual. (and I supported my argument with examples of habits that are not customs). You clearly do. On the other hand I don't. Whereas you
Aah, but isn't the phrase "real pilgrims" inherently judgmental? It divides pilgrims into "real pilgrims" and "fake pilgrims" and puts whoever says it as the judge, determining which pilgrims are real and which pilgrims are fake. If you are on pilgrimage and see a pilgrim judging another pilgrim, you judge them "not a real pilgrim" and, in doing so, lose the right to claim for yourself the status of "real pilgrim". I prefer to avoid the situation by avoiding the term "real pilgrim" (although I recognize that many real pilgrims embrace it).One big custom is: Real pilgrims don't judge other pilgrims.
Soaking your feet in a fountain meant for it! The cold water does wonders to numb the pain of aching feet and after a 5 min soak, my feet were as good as new to walk another 10 miles.I've been asked to do a presentation on Walking the Modern Camino.
I have been asked several questions in advance, and some have to do with pilgrim "customs."
Specifically I have been asked about these "customs": burning your clothes in Finisterre/Muxia, dropping stones at the Cruz de Ferro, running the last few hundred meters to the cathedral, anything like that.
I will definitely tell them that burning your clothes anywhere is not a custom that should be followed! And I don't know anyone who ran the last few hundred meters to the cathedral.
Can you think of anything that is a real pilgrim custom that I should mention?
I have walked the French camino 3X and on each occasion have left a stone at the Iron Cross and each time was very moving for me. I have see this happen for others too. I imagine few customs have a neccesary outcome but many might touch us in powerful ways, even taking us by surprise if we allow the possibility.Thanks. Although I've given other Camino talks in the past, I'm a little nervous about this one because it's part of an OLLIclass (an organization for continuing education for older adults) which people are actually paying for. Plus it's on Zoom, which I haven't used much.
I'm not the teacher for the entire course, which is about historical roots of the Camino. My portion is just about being a pilgrim on the modern Camino.
It's simple - if one considers themselves to be a pilgrim, then they are a pilgrim.
I was told that it went well - it's so hard to tell on Zoom!Hi Trecile,
Did you give your talk? How did it go?
Aidan
Sharing your love of something always goes well. Good luck in January.I was told that it went well - it's so hard to tell on Zoom!
I have been asked to repeat it in January.
I teach art classes regularly for an organization for continuing education for older adults. Trust me when I say they will EAT THIS UP, WHATEVER YOU SAY. It is such an intriguing topic, I would say don't even worry about whatever theme they give you.Thanks. Although I've given other Camino talks in the past, I'm a little nervous about this one because it's part of an OLLIclass (an organization for continuing education for older adults) which people are actually paying for. Plus it's on Zoom, which I haven't used much.
I'm not the teacher for the entire course, which is about historical roots of the Camino. My portion is just about being a pilgrim on the modern Camino.
Hmm. What if I am a masochist?Do to others what you want others to do to you.
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