The 2027 Rocío pilgrimage takes place from May 14 to 17. Sunday the 16th is Pentecost, and Monday the 17th is the big day: the early morning when the Virgin is carried in procession through the village. It will also be a special Rocío, the first after the nine months the Blanca Paloma spent in Almonte for the Venida.
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If you have never been, or if you want to understand what you see on the news every year, here is the pilgrimage step by step.
Before: the journey
El Rocío begins days before arrival. Each brotherhood leaves its town or city with its simpecado, the banner with the image of the Virgin, which travels on a cart drawn by oxen or mules. Behind it are the pilgrims: on foot, on horseback, in carts and trailers.
There are four main routes:
- The Seville route. It crosses the Guadiamar River at the Quema ford, passes through Villamanrique de la Condesa, continues along the Raya Real, and enters the village through the Ajolí bridge.
- The Sanlúcar route. The brotherhoods from Cádiz cross the Guadalquivir by barge from Sanlúcar de Barrameda and traverse Doñana.
- The Moguer route. It is the route of the brotherhoods from Huelva.
- The Llanos route. It is the route from Almonte, the shortest, and the same one the Virgin travels to and from the town.
On the journey, people pray, sing, and socialize. At night, around the simpecado cart, the rosary is prayed.
Saturday: the presentation of brotherhoods
Upon arriving at the village, each brotherhood presents itself before the hermitage and the Mother Brotherhood of Almonte. They do so in order of seniority, one after another, with their carts, their riders, and their pilgrims. There are so many that the presentation lasts many hours and in recent years it already begins on Friday afternoon.
Pentecost Sunday: the mass and the rosary
In the morning, the Pentecost mass is held at the Real del Rocío, outdoors, with all the simpecados gathered. At night comes the Holy Rosary: the brotherhoods make their way through the village with their simpecados, amid candles and flares, to the hermitage.
The Blanca Paloma with natural pearl and navy blue enamel
Monday morning: the jumping of the grille
It is the moment everyone waits for. When the Almonte simpecado enters the hermitage at the end of the rosary, the people of Almonte jump the altar grille and carry the Virgin on their shoulders. There is no fixed time: it happens when it happens, in the early morning.
The procession lasts for hours. The Virgin makes her way through the village and stops before the simpecados of the brotherhoods, where she is awaited with cheers and prayers, until returning to her hermitage already in the morning.
After: the journey back
El Rocío does not end in the village. The brotherhoods retrace their steps back to their towns, and the entry of each simpecado into its parish is another celebration.
If you are going for the first time
- The streets are made of sand. Wear closed-toe, comfortable shoes, and expect dust.
- It is hot during the day and cool at night. Bring a hat, water, and something warm for the early morning.
- The procession belongs to the people of Almonte. Only they carry the Virgin; the rest of us have to watch and make way.
- Wear your medal. Pilgrims wear their brotherhood's medal around their necks. If you do not belong to one, a Virgin of El Rocío medal is the best way to carry her with you on the journey and bring her back home.
Virgin of El Rocío medals for the journey
Discover all our Virgin of El Rocío medals. If it is a gift before the journey, order it a few days in advance: we ship within 24–72 hours and it arrives gift-wrapped.
Facts you can check
- El Rocío 2027 is from May 14 to 17. Source
- The oldest filial brotherhood is that of Villamanrique de la Condesa. Source
- The Virgin returns from Almonte to the village in the spring of 2027, before the pilgrimage. Source
Marian and Bárbara