Romería de El Rocío
24 May 2026 · movable holiday — The road is long, but the lantern glows. Safe journey, pilgrim!
The Romería de El Rocío (a romería is a pilgrimage combined with a popular festival) is one of the largest in Spain. Every year around Pentecost, thousands of people set out for the village of El Rocío in the municipality of Almonte, Huelva province, Andalusia. Their goal is the shrine where the Virgin of El Rocío is venerated, lovingly called the White Dove. Pilgrims come from many parts of the country with their brotherhoods (hermandades – religious associations that organise the journey). They travel on foot, on horseback and in decorated carts pulled by oxen or horses, often crossing Doñana National Park. On the way they sing, play music and pray, and in the evenings they gather around campfires. The most solemn moment comes in the night before Whit Monday, when the image of the Virgin is carried out among the crowd. The festival is movable: its date follows Easter, which falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox. In 2026, Pentecost falls on 24 May.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver constellation figure made of luminous dots and fine lines: a flower-garlanded cart drawn by two oxen, with a pilgrim walking beside it holding a softly glowing lantern
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