Greenery in Portomarin

[Deleted member 3000]

The paving in front of the church is covered with greenery, something like Palm Sunday. Does anyone know the occasion? Thanks.

 

[donalomahony]

Possibly feast of St Christopher celebrated in parts of Spain around now. Possibly

 

[Kathar1na]

There is a tradition in Portomarín to have a procession in honour of a Santa Isabel and a Festa do Ramallo on the first Sunday in July, see this photo and article of 8 July 2013. You can find a number of similar photos for the Festa do Ramallo in Portomarín:



The photo below was posted on Twitter/Instagram today. The text that accompanies it says that they arrived in Portomarín today and found that the Camino de Santiago had been transformed into a senda vegetal hasta la cima donde se encuentra la iglesia fortaleza.



Edited to add: Festa do Ramallo, na honra de santa Isabel, o primeiro domingo de xullo, is one of the fiestas of Portomarín. See also http://www.noticieirogalego.com/informacion-de-interese-portomarin/

 

[Rebekah Scott]

ask someone who lives there!

 

[Sparrow in Texas]

ask someone who lives there!

Even though you might not understand much, the locals will be pleased that you are showing interest in them!

 

[Kathar1na]

Even though you might not understand much, the locals will be pleased that you are showing interest in them!

I cannot be sure but I guess that @falcon269 saw the greenery on the Portomarín webcam. If I had thought that he was in Portomarín I would not have bothered to reply. And he would not have asked this question on this forum.

 

[donalomahony]

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Yes, I looked at the webcam. Thank you for the replies, everyone. I think we found the answer.

 

[Kathar1na]

View attachment 60886

@donalomahony, is this one of your own photos?

 

[donalomahony]

No, friend of mine in Portomarin yesterday

 

[Kathar1na]

I can't make out what the green plants on the road are. Decorating the church and the houses with green plants or small trees or branches for a village festival is familiar to me but I've never seen so much green on the road for the procession to walk upon. Is this something typical for Spain or for Galicia?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

It looks a bit like fennel, which I have seen growing wild along the Camino.

 

[Pelegrin]

I can't make out what the green plants on the road are. Decorating the church and the houses with green plants or small trees or branches for a village festival is familiar to me but I've never seen so much green on the road for the procession to walk upon. Is this something typical for Spain or for Galicia?

It seems that they are cane plants.
No. Branches (ramallos) on the floor are not typical for Galicia or Spain. More common are flowers.

 

[Priscilla NC]

In 2016 when I was walking into Finisterre on a Sunday in June, we found greenery like that in front of a church. There were several people still putting the greenery into a design. We stopped to ask what they were celebrating, and a woman answered, 'Sacramento'. Meaning what we call Corpus Christi. Though the Roman official date of that celebration had already been a couple of weeks beforehand, another said that in Galicia the dates are different -- and this was when they celebrated it. But it sounds like you've found out which feast it was.

The greenery they used at Corpus Christi was indeed fennel which had been growing in the marshy areas along the road. The aroma was heavenly.