2010 is considered the Holy Year and is a marvelous opportunity to explore northern Spain by walking one of the major Christian pilgrimage routes, Camino de Santiago.
Camino de Santiago – St. James Way
Pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago
The Holy Year occurs every time that St. James Day, 25 July, falls on a Sunday which happens now in 2010 and will not reoccur again until year 2021. Mostly known as the “Camino de Santiago” this pilgrimage route is also called St. James Way and is a pilgrimage to the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela where the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried. This pilgrimage is the third largest in Christianity and for more than 1000 years have pilgrims walked the Camino de Santiago. The main route is the Camino Frances which traditionally starts in St Jean Pied de Port and ends 780km later in Santiago de Compostela. The route passes the northern part of Spain and once arriving at the cathedral the pilgrims may collect their Compostela. The Compostela is the certificate of accomplishment of having completed the route and in order to receive it one must walk at least 100km or cycle 200km.
The main route - Camino Frances
Promoting the Pilgrimage
Due to the special event of the Holy Year the Xunta de Galicia (regional government) is promoting the route as a tourist activity and is hoping to reach the figures of approximately 250 000 pilgrims that complete the route during the year. The government is promoting the Holy Year focusing on four different aspects: spirituality, nature, gastronomy and culture. It will be an exciting and fascinating year in northern Spain with numerous events, performances, and festivals to celebrate the long awaited Holy Year.
What folks should remember is there is far more to Galicia than just the Camino and Santiago de Compostela.
The main tourism site is turgalicia.es
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