Pilgrimage of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
24 May 2026 — A quiet flower-decked boat sails across the sea of stars. Peaceful journey!
Every year on 24 and 25 May, the small town of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, on the Camargue coast in southern France, welcomes thousands of pilgrims. Many of them are Romani people from different countries who come to honour Saint Sara, also known as Sara la Kali. According to a local tradition, Christian saints reached this shore by boat. The pilgrimage centres on the town's fortified church, where the statue of Saint Sara is kept in the crypt. On 24 May, the statue of Saint Sara is carried in procession down to the sea, and on 25 May the statues of Saints Mary Jacobe and Mary Salome are carried to the sea in a boat. It is accompanied by Camargue riders called gardians (herdsmen of bulls and horses) in traditional dress. Participants sing, pray and light candles. The dates are fixed: Saint Sara is honoured on 24 May, and 25 May is the feast of Saint Mary Jacobe. A second pilgrimage takes place in October, on the Sunday closest to 22 October. The pilgrimage is a living example of different communities sharing one devotion.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver star figure made of light dots and fine lines, like a constellation: a small boat adorned with flowers, gliding quietly across a sea of stars and leaving a faint shimmering wake
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