There is an annual pilgrimage called “Santa Faz” that takes place in Alicante. It is on the second Thursday after Easter which was April 7th this year. It is the second largest pilgrimage in Spain and approximately 300,000 people are expected to do the pilgrimage this year.

The pilgrimage has a very long history and dates back to March 17th 1489. There was a very bad drought at that time and so a pilgrimage was held to ask for rain. Apparently during the first pilgrimage a tear miraculously appeared on the right cheek of Christ whose image is on the Santa Faz veil. The veil is said to be part of the cloth which Veronica wiped Christ’s face as he carried the cross to Calvary.  A few days after the first pilgrimage it began to rain which ended the long draught that had affected the region. There has been a pilgrimage every year for the last 527 years.

We decided to take part in the pilgrimage and headed down to the Church at approximately 7:30 am. There were lots of people gathering  for the eight kilometre walk from St Nicholas of Bari cathedral to the Santa Faz monastery.

People pick up walking sticks made of bamboo with dried rosemary which were given away at City hall. We managed to get two of the walking sticks to begin our pilgrimage.

We started the pilgrimage at 8 a.m. which is when the church procession begins. There is the Veil of veronica at the start along with some other religious statues. There is a specific prayer that is repeated all along the pilgrimage with loud speakers.

We were in the first third of the pilgrimage and walked along numerous side streets on our way to the monastery. It was very busy and we walked along the roadway following the crowd.

Some people came with team shirts, their own walking stick, religious item and others decorated shopping carts and loaded them up with beverages or personal belongings. There were lots of younger adults who were enjoying themselves and having drinks along the way.

There were even some people who walked the pilgrimage barefoot. We saw probably fifteen to twenty people bare feet walking along the route.

There were lots of people and we stopped to take it all in. Looking back down the highway we could see people for miles away. It was quite moving to see so many people taking part.

We saw lots of police on the pilgrimage and there were also lots of ambulances strategically parked along the route. The whole pilgrimage was very well-organized.

It took us about 2 1/2 hours to arrive at the Santa Faz monastery which is the final stop of the pilgrimage. There was a mass taking place and it was projected outside on a big screen for those who could not get inside.

There was also a separate line up for people who wanted to go into the monastery to see the Santa Faz veil.

We stayed outside watching the mass for a while, then headed back towards the buses to get a ride back into Alicante. We were able to get a bus fairly quickly. When we were heading back to Alicante on the bus we watched the line of people still walking the pilgrimage. There were miles and miles of people still walking.

We stopped at a cafe shop on the waterfront and had a well deserved rest. W enjoyed a coffee and snack before heading back home.

It was a very enjoyable experience and we were glad we took part.

“Adios y que tenga un grand días”