Spain's wildest pilgrimage, El Rocío, brings together faith, nature and partying
Hundreds of thousands of Catholic pilgrims slogged for days under a punishing sun through country roads, sandy paths, even a river ford to reach the tiny hamlet of El Rocío in southern Spain for Pentecost weekend.
An icon of the Virgin Mary — La Virgen del Rocío — has been venerated in this remote area since the Middle Ages.
Today, dressed in their finest but caked in dust and sweat, crowds jostle to be the first to pray and sing sevillanas — flamenco songs — before Mary in the white sanctuary by the wetlands where wild horses and flamingos roam.
On the multi-day journey by foot, horseback or ox-driven cart, and in the houses that line the streets of the village, there’s a lot of partying, drinking, music and laughter. But there are also solemn vows, hushed worship services, tears of thanksgiving by flickering candlelight.
A tattoo of the Virgin of El Rocio covers the back of Paloma Maria, a pilgrim from Cordoba, who crosses the Quema River near Aznalcazar, Spain, a crucial point in the annual Catholic pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin of El Rocio, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Pilgrims walk through dusty terrain near Aznalcazar, Spain, during the annual Catholic pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin of El Rocio, Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
“Since I was a little boy, the center of everything has been the Virgin,” said Jaime Berjano, who walked from Sevilla with the Triana brotherhood, one of the oldest and largest of the more than 100 involved. “The importance of the pilgrimage is not that it’s easy or nice, but that it’s worthwhile.”
The pinnacle of the pilgrimage is the procession of the icon of the Virgin Mary in the overnight hours between Pentecost Sunday and Monday. Crowds jostle to reach the gold-covered image of Mary looking down at an infant Jesus in her lap, which is then carried through the sand streets and plazas to visit each brotherhood house.
As the relentless sun and heat grew Monday morning, the pilgrims went back to celebrate, rest before the journey back — and start planning next year’s romería to their beloved Mary, whose image almost all carry in medals hanging from their neck, and a few even tattooed on their bodies.
Pilgrims cross the Quema River near Aznalcazar, Spain, a crucial point in the annual Catholic pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin of El Rocio that draws hundreds of thousands of faithful, Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Pilgrims walk through dusty terrain near Aznalcazar, Spain, during the annual Catholic pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin of El Rocio, that draws hundreds of thousands of faithful, Friday, June 6, 2025.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Pilgrims stand on the shore of the Quema River near Aznalcazar, Spain, a crucial point in the annual Catholic pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin of El Rocio that draws hundreds of thousands of faithful, Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Pilgrims walk through dusty terrain near Aznalcázar, Spain, during the annual Catholic pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin of El Rocio, Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Pilgrims cross the Quema River on their way to the shrine of El Rocio near Aznalcazar, Spain, Thursday, June 5, 2025, during the annual pilgrimage in which devoteesof the Virgin del Rocio converge at the shrine. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Pilgrims walk through dusty terrain near Aznalcazar, Spain, during the annual Catholic pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin of El Rocio, that draws hundreds of thousands of faithful, Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Pilgrims from the Triana brotherhood attend Mass on their way to the shrine of El Rocio near Aznalcazar, Spain, during the annual Catholic pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin of El Rocio, that draws hundreds of thousands of faithful, Thursday, June 5, 2025.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Pilgrims cross the Quema River near Aznalcazar, Spain, a crucial point in the annual Catholic pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin of El Rocio that draws hundreds of thousands of faithful, Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Pilgrims light candles at the shrine of El Rocio near Aznalcazar, Spain, during the annual Catholic pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin of El Rocio, Saturday, June 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Pilgrims dance Sevillanas in a home in El Rocio village, near Aznalcazar, Spain, during the annual Catholic pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin of El Rocio that draws hundreds of thousands of faithful, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Pilgrims carry the Virgin of El Rocio outside the shrine in El Rocio, near Almonte in southern Spain, early Monday, June 9, 2025, during the annual pilgrimage in which devoteesof the Virgin converge on the shrine. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
A baby is lifted to be close to the Virgin of El Rocio during a procession in the village of El Rocio, near Almonte in southern Spain, Monday, June 9, 2025, during the annual pilgrimage in which devoteesof the Virgin converge on the shrine. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Pilgrims gather during the procession of the Virgin of El Rocio in the village of El Rocio, near Almonte in southern Spain, Monday, June 9, 2025, during the annual pilgrimage in which devotees of the Virgin converge on the shrine. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Pilgrims carry the Virgin of El Rocio, during a procession in the village of El Rocio, near Almonte in southern Spain, Monday, June 9, 2025, during the annual pilgrimage in which devotees of the Virgin del Rocio converge on the shrine. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Children are carried close to the Virgin of El Rocio during a procession in the village of El Rocio, near Almonte in southern Spain, Monday, June 9, 2025, during the annual pilgrimage in which devoteesof the Virgin del Rocio converge on the shrine. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Lead photo: Pilgrims from the Triana brotherhood cross the Quema River near Aznalcazar, Spain, a crucial point in the annual Catholic pilgrimage to the shrine of the Virgin of El Rocio, Friday, June 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Photos by Emilio Morenatti | Text by Emilio Morenatti and Giovanna Dell’Orto
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