Holy Year, Holy Cow!

[mammalama]

Interested in hearing other pilgrim's thoughts on the historical beliefs of the advantages of walking the Camino during a holy year. Did the holy year influence your decision to walk or not walk? I posted some of my thoughts and research (very basic research!) at
Thanks to all who have visited, posted links and shared. I invite you to stop by as well, sit a spell, share your comments and enjoy.

[Leslie]

The first year I walked the Camino I had no idea it was a holy year, in fact I knew very little about the camino. This would have no influence on my walking the any of the routes, but it does mean something for some people - quite a few really.

Only twice along the way did I get into religious conversations. Once with someone who was intent on converting me - that wasn't much fun for either of us. The other was with a bunch of young seminarians from the US. That for me was quite revealing. Although I was a student at the time in Ireland catholic university I came across very hard line and inflexible views from these young boys, esp around creationism.

Eventually I just had to accept that that was the way they believed even though to me it was very strange.

Most people I talked to on the Camino were there for various reasons but most fell into wanting a break from their normal life and to discover more meaning for themselves - direction mostly. There seems to be a lot of people in the world unsatisfied with their own life, and quite a few of them are on the Camino. And it seems to work...

[HuskyNerd]

I'm a 52-year old Methodist pastor and am doing a portion of the Via de la Plata this year, arriving in Santiago on July 25. I'm expecting a huge crowd once there and chose the Galician portion of the VdlP hoping for some solitude and scenery.

My experience is similar to Leslie's in that there are relatively few who talk openly about spirituality or religion on the Camino. My hypothesis, though, is that this is true for English and French-speakers and not necessarily true for those who speak only Spanish or Portuguese. I'm testing this theory by returning to college and studying Spanish in order to have more conversations with Spanish pilgrims along the way. I think the tradition of plenary indulgences for the Holy Year pilgrimage has pretty well died out in secular Western Europe. The web materials from Spanish confraternities seems to include much more material about religious piety, hence my hypothesis.

The modern Camino does seem to be bathed in contemporary spirituality, though. Perhaps it was because I am a pastor, but I had many, many conversations with people (mostly women) about spirituality. I had some arguments, too, about whether it was possible to be both religious and spiritual! Many people had read Paulo Coelho and were looking for a mystical experience. Many find that the discipline of the walk itself becomes a spiritual exercise and coupled with the camaraderie of the Camino becomes a rich spiritual experience. I regret that people don't often connect this with the spiritual resources of organized religion (our fault).

I expect to stand in a very long line at the pilgrim office in Santiago to have my certificate dated "July 25, 2010." As a Protestant it's not for any ritual of forgiveness (I can get that at home), but more for a sense of unity with those who made their way to Santiago for hundreds of years looking for hope and healing and inner peace and the presence of God.

[mammalama]

Wow, nice post- all the best for an amazing journey!

[InOrlando]

I will be walking around the same time as you, HuskyNerd. My husband and I will leave SJPP June 22 and we plan to be in Santiago for July 25th. Perhaps we'll meet you and have a conversation while we wait in line at the pilgrim office! Buen Camino!

[Tanya Yaksich]

Hi Ladies,
I enjoyed reading your Angels and Longshots. The photo at the beginning is stunning.
My Sister is very religious so this promenade is very special for her. I had planned to go for personal reasons in september last year, when my Sister found out she said she was going this year.We meet rarely since i moved to Australia 43 years ago. It was worth delaying to walk with her, even though we are departing from Leon. I will walk from S.J.P.T another time.
I wish you a Buen Camino and hope that wretched volcano doesn't screw your flight plan, flying via Iceland.
Cheers Tanya

[arturo]

Well.. for me the Holy Year was one of important factors when I considered the pilgrimage. I am Catholic and for me the aim of the pilgrimage was a religious one. How it worked out - well... I don't know. After one week of coming back I am still happy and feel like my expectations (high enough to the point of be scary) were owerhelmingly fulfilled.
Edit: I dont feel comfortable with this ".., Holy Cow!" expression. But it might be because of my inadequate English backround.

[Covey]

I think that to the American who wrote "Holy Cow" it is another way of saying "Wow" or "Amazing" or "Fantastic".

Although British and speaking our version of English, I have heard the expression Holy Cow used many times by actors in American soaps and films to express surprise and seems popular in the Batman genre of movies!!