[Gocamino] May 2005 Pilgrims

[Blaroli at aol.com]

Hello you all,

During May, 2005, the Pilgrims' Office in Santiago granted 9,306 Compostelas 
to qualifying Santiago pilgrims.  Last year, a Xacobean Holy Year, 16,862 
pilgrims received the Compostela. In May.  2003,  6,351 pilgrims did so, 
consequently the number of qualifying pilgrims represent an  increase of 47% over the 
last non-Holy year month of May.

 5,633 of the May pilgrims were men and 3,673 were women.  

7,352 pilgrims walked, 1,861 rode bicycles and 93 rode horses. 

Purely religious reasons for making the pilgrimage were cited by 3,822 
pilgrims; religious and other motives were stated by 4,698 pilgrims and 
non-religious purposes by 786 persons.

63% of the pilgrims, 5,854,  came from abroad;  3,452 were from Spain itself. 
 
The largest number of foreign pilgrims, 1,473, came from Germany, followed by 
933 from France, 553 from Italy, 369 from Holland, 306 from the United 
States, 275 from Portugal, 261 from Austria, 225 from the United Kingdom, 208 from 
Brasil, 188 from Canada, 137 from Belgium, 121 from Australia, 109 from 
Switzerland and the rest, in descending numbers, from many other countries far and 
wide.

2,165 of the pilgrims were retired; 1,772 were white collar workers; 1,375 
were technicians; 1,220 were professionals; 609 were students (!); 540 were 
government functionaries; 398 were blue collar workers; 397 were housewives, 374 
were teachers and the rest comprised a varied assortment of occupations.

The largest number of pilgrims, 1,337, started out in Saint Jean Pied de 
Port; 1,062 in Sarria; 867 in Roncesvalles; 686 in Leon; 589 in O Cebreiro; 504 in 
Pamplona; 500 in Ponferrada; 332 in Le Puy; 313 in Burgos; 304 in Astorga; 
290 in various points in France; 205 in Tui; 167 in Villafranca; 124 in O Porto; 
110 in various places in Holland, and the rest, in descending numbers, at 
various points  all more than 100 kilometers away from Santiago if walking and 
200 kilometers away in riding bicycles or horses.

The overwhelming number of pilgrims, 7,891, followed the French Way; 566 
pilgrims followed the Portuguese Way; 491 the Via de la Plata; 257 the Northern 
Way; 65 the Primitive Way, and 36 the English Way.

Again, the above numbers reflect only those pilgrims that completed the 
Camino in May and sought to receive the Compostela, not, in the least, all the 
pilgrims in the various routes of the Camino during the month.

Warm regards,

Rosina