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[Rosina Lila]

Hello you all,Before I get my things ready to hightail it back to Rome I´d like to tell you about the ceremonies yesterday, and today, while the impressions are still fresh:If the king-and-queen-attended Mass and rituals were impressive, they were nothing compared to the opening of the Holy Door ceremonies.Having become familiar with its superb situation I stood again infront of the Saint Salome statue where I had a view of the foreground of the alter AND the holy door; further, there was a huge plasma TV screen right in front so that I could follow all the details without moving.There were three cardinals and a lot of bishops (one from Germany, one from France, one from Italy and an English-speaking one); there were also many, many, priests, monks and nuns who were sitting in special chairs up front.  The President, or something, (the head honcho) of the whole of Galicia (a region with several provinces, including A Corunha to which Santiago belongs), Manuel Fraga,was sitti!
 ng by himself in the place occupied by the King and Queen the day before.  The music was other-wordly since the choir had been complemented by some Carmelite nuns who only leave their convent for such occassions.The Archbishop spoke and dedicated the entire ceremony to us, pilgrims.... all of you, me, everyone of us.  He said that there would be no Camino without us, and that the whole significance, wonder and magnificence of the Camino had been created by us pilgrims, over the centuries and centuries; he said that the Camino had been forged with our physical endeavors, our sacrifices, our devotion and our determination and that, therefore, Santiago is our spiritual home and the Cathedral is ours. He said that the Archdiocese and everyone in it is full of respect for those who come from so very far away facing unknowns and unaccustomed hardships.... and he saluted us. He then exhorted Galician natives and Spaniards in general to treat us with the hospitality and affection t!
 hat we have earned. He then greeted us all, wherever we may be, in var
ious languages and when he spoke in English I just couldn´t stop the tears.The Mass then went one, with a rather chaotic offering of comunion under the blue and white umbrellas, and right after the Botafumeiro was put in motion to an uncharacteristic hush. The Mmass was then concluded and a Te Deum was sung before proceeding to the door.-It occurred to me, listening to the music and the choir that Puccini must have been quite a church-goer; during one of the nun-sung portions I couldn´t stop thinking of his opera Suor Angelica, but while opera singing is studied art (beautiful, to be sure) Carmelite nuns singing are the real thing; also, the Te Deum´s original music is used in the glorious end of the first act of Tosca.The archbishop and the high prelates and their guests then went out the Plateria´s door to the Holy Door, the gate was opened, the archbishop hit the walled part of the door three times with a silver hammer and then, zap! the wall went down..... as in a movie.!
  Some priests then cleaned out the stone fragments and afterwards washed the door lintel with olive branches dipped in Holy Water. The Archbishop then read a letter sent by the Pope, and it was a beautiful letter, where the Pope writes about the meaning of the Camino and about us pilgrims and a clear, direct, and very moving manner,(as a young priest the pope walked the Camino and has considered himself a pilgrim ever since).A copy of the letter was distributed to the congregants; if you are interested I can post it (at least the pilgrims´parts) I think most of you would be as moved by it as most of us there at the time were.... let me know.The Archbishop and the Bishops and all the officials and their guests, including the green-liveried with plumed helmets guards, returned to the Altar before a benediction. After that the throngs  (and they were throngs.....) of the rest of us went to a guards maintained 15 abreast line that snaked all around Quintana to go through the do!
 or.  It took hours.It is a very tiny door.... I doubt that two people 
can go through it at the same time. Caught in the spirit of the moment some of us stood in yet another line to go up and give Jimmy a hug.The door was closed at 9:00 pm in preparation for the huge New year´s celebration and fireworks that took place in Quintana Square.I´ll write about them later. I can only tell you now that as one who has spent several New year Eves in Rio de Janeiro I certainly did not expect ever to be impressed by fireworks and such any place else.... but I was.I will also write later about today´s ceremonies.... a procession with Botafumeiro at 11:30 a.m. before the Pilgrims´Mass! Another incredible ceremony!.Imagine..... seeing the botafumeiro three days in a row and being even more dazzled by it than before! Life can be maravelous, indeed. And again, have a marvelous Xacobean New year.... It belongs to us pilgrims.Big hug!