[Gocamino] Going to the next Holy Year in Santiago

[Ana Young]

I wonder if people will begin to rent out their private rooms in Santiago as happens in cities along some of the Camino stretch, especially in Galicia. If I had one, I would. Meantime ... I do want to go. I have never experienced a Holy Year and since there won't be one for a very long time ... I'm also determined to get to this one! I'm conveniently on vacation then ...

If anyone has any dibs on anything for rent ... I'd love to know. I may possibly be a "bona-fide peregrina" during that time, but of that I'm not 100% sure.

Buen Camino,
Ana

--- On Wed, 5/27/09, Rosina <blaroli at aol.com> wrote:

> From: Rosina <blaroli at aol.com>
> Subject: [Gocamino] Wet blanket; Access to the Cathedral
> To: GOCAMINO at oakapple.net, saintjames at yahoogroups.com
> Cc: acaciopaz at yahoo.com.br
> Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 8:44 AM
> 
>  
> 
> Wet Blanket.
> 
> Next year the 119th Xacobean Holy Year will be
> commemorated. Because there will not be another one for the
> next 11 years huge  crowds are expected in Santiago and
> the preparations therefor are reaching a frantic pace. 
> 
> A couple of days ago Jose Maria Dias, the Dean of the
> Cathedral (I’m not sure what that means) stated that
> during the Holy year the Quintana Plaza will be strictly
> off-limits for concerts or any such.  The reason given is
> that the Holy Door is right in Quintana and that it is
> unseemly to have boisterous and crowded gatherings next to
> it, particularly since the crowds seeking to go through the
> door are expected to be immense.
> 
> The Holy Door will open on December 31, and it is expected
> to be a tremendous celebration. I was in Santiago at the
> last opening of the Holy Door, in December 31, 2003, and
> indeed, that night (the Door was knocked down at about 6:00
> p.m. , after the Mass, and the processions, and all the
> observances took place), from 8:00 p.m. until the door was
> closed at 11:00 p.m. there was an enormous throng of people
> outside wanting to go throught it.  When the door reopened
> at 6:00 a.m. next morning there was a line of people waiting
> to go through, and for the next few days, the serpentine
> queue, six across, nearly covered the whole of Quintana and
> waited hours and hours to go in.  The ancient passage way
> of the Door is almost a thousand years old and  is very
> narrow; only one person can go=2
> 0through at the time. Furthermore, those who go through
> stop in the door lintel to perform the ancient ritual of 
> placing their hands on each side (hand indentations similar
> to the one in the Portico de Gloria’s tree of Jesse can be
> seen there), crossing themselves and saying a prayer; and so
> it takes forever to go through.
> 
> In this sense, the decision to leave Quintana free and
> clear makes sense.
> 
> Yet, the chamber music concerts that take place on the
> steps up and out of Quintana, with little tea candles all
> over the wide stairway are very beautiful. Also, the
> concerts on the stage set up at the other end provide for
> comfort and space, and the selling and collecting of tickets
> for them.  The Dean also mentioned that in the Platerias
> square (the one below Quintana with the fountain) concerts
> and such will also not take place. - I wonder why, since the
> Holy Door is not near there-.  He did allow that such
> proscriptions would not apply to Obradoiro or Azabacherias
> which will continue to hold public event.
> 
>  On December 31, 2003, at about 11:30 p.m. in Quintana
> commenced one of the most beautiful and joyous celebrations
> that I have ever seen anytime, anywhere, with music,
> fireworks cascading from the roof of the Cathedral, torches,
> candles, paper trumpets and free bottles of “Cava”
> (Spanish champagne), -one per adult-..  I remember at the
> time feeling that I had never been as happy as in those very
> moments.  I took some pictures which, as I remember,20were
> posted here, together with my over-the-top enthusiastic
> comments.  
> 
> I would expect that the celebrations this year would be
> just as impressive, and I am determined to go, but in trying
> to secure a hotel room I have learned that 95% of all hotel
> rooms in the Santiago Casco have already been booked.
> Therefore, if some of you would like to go to this
> once-in-a-lifetime experience I would suggest that you begin
> acting on your plans.
> 
> In making his announcement about the restrictions on public
> events at Quintana, the Dean reiterated that the Cathedral
> had not been built around a city, but that the city had been
> built around the Cathedral.
> 
>  
> 
> Access to the Cathedral.
> 
> The Santiago Archbishop, Msgr. Julian Barrio , has stated
> that during the Holy Year the maximum number of persons
> allowed in the Cathedral at any one time will be 1,200. He
> did mention that bona-fide pilgrims would be given priority.
> He also said that because of the limit to be imposed the
> number of Masses will increase during the year, and that
> perambulating through the Cathedral will not be permitted
> during religious observances;
> 
> Tourist groups will be allowed only during specific times.
> 
> This is pretty much what they did in 2004, and I do
> remember that for the Pilgrims’ Mass those at the door
> were guiding Compostela-holding pilgrims to the area of the
> Cathedral where the door leads to Azabacheria square, and
> that the seats there had been reserved for them.  I thought
> that was very nice.  Those pilgri
> ms that could not find seats were allowed to seat on the
> floor in the area between the benches and the altar grill. 
> 
> A lot of other measure are being considered and adopted,
> including information aids, back-pack storage, etc., and, of
> course, the security measures in and around the Cathedral
> will be significant.
> 
>  
> 
> Hugs!
> 
>  
> 
> Rosina 
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