Pilgrims from 138 countries arrived in Santiago last year

[ivar]

In 2006 Santiago de Compostela received pilgrims from 138 different countries, according to today’s El Correo Gallego. In the holy year 2004, there were pilgrims from "only" 90 different countries. Pilgrims came from countries as far away as Aruba and Turkmenistan.

In total in 2006, 100 377 pilgrims received the compostela. According to El Correo Gallego, this is an increase of 6453 from 2005. Of these well 100 00, about 82.407 walked the Camino Frances.
Another interesting fact is that 250 pilgrims were over 75 years of age.

Graphic from El Correo Gallego

These statistics are based on the number of pilgrims receiving the compostela when arriving in Santiago de Compostela. If they did not pick up the compostela, they are not counted.

More in the article in today’s El Correo here:
http://www.elcorreogallego.es/index.php ... cia=123240

 

[sillydoll]

Stats for 2006

Thanks for posting the stats Ivar. I did a quick Google translation to English. Official stats will only be known when they are posted on the pilgrim office's website at:
http://www.archicompostela.org/web/index_.htm


Pilgrim Stats for 2006:
·100 377 pilgrims received the compostela in Santiago in 2006. This number is an increase of 6,453 over 2005.
·There were a record number of pilgrims from 138 countries during 2006 – compared with only 91 countries in the Holy Year of 2004. They came from places like Aruba and Turkmenistán, Greenland and Kenya.
·The number of pilgrims from Africa has grown to 206.
·The numbers have also increased from South America, Asia and the Australian Continent.
·It was not unusual to see pilgrims in the Praza do Obradoiro from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Turkmenistán, Urbekistán or Zimbawe.
·Thousands of pilgrims came from the from European countries including the Principality of Monaco.
·As for Spain, the greater number of pilgrims came from Catalonia, Madrid or Castilla Leon.
·Pilgrims also came from the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla. From Ceuta, for example, 54 people earned their Compostela.
·The French Way continues to be the “King” of all the Xacobeas Routes.
·82,407 pilgrims chose this Way - three thousand people more than in 2005.
·Walking is still the favoured way of making the pilgrimage.
·11 people did the pilgrimage in wheelchairs.
·The majority of pilgrims were male with 59,416 men and 40,961 females
·237 pilgrims were over 75 years old.
·The months of July and August were the most popular. In July there were 18,560 pilgrims and in August 25.968.
·The experts say that those who travel at winter travel the most authentic way; those who have to go through snow, mountains and other difficulties.
·The past December 848 authentic pilgrims arrived at Compostela. “Heroic "
·Hundred of pilgrims spent the last hours of year 2006 to arrive at Compostela just in time to take the grapes from Nochevieja. The majority “were foreign”, explained the Santiago Office. They chose, generally, the French Way from its beginning. That is to say, from the Pyrenees locality of Saint Jean de Pied de Port.
·The first pilgrim of 2007 to arrive was a 29 year old from Madrid.

PS: Not sure who the 'experts' are who say that the most authentic pilgrims are those who travel in winter?? Perhaps Google got it wrong?

 

[Peter Robins]

Re: Stats for 2006

Not sure who the 'experts' are who say that the most authentic pilgrims are those who travel in winter?? Perhaps Google got it wrong?

no, that's what the article says, tho I don't know where that idea comes from either - particularly as St James Day was deliberately moved from December to July to increase the no of pilgrims.

 

[JustRob]

Departure

Well, the info about winter pilgrimage was heartening for me.

The whole job switch may be coming up sooner than I thought, so I might be leaving for a February/March camino.

 

[sillydoll]

Feb - March Camino

Hello Rob,
There have been a lot of posts on this Forum about Feb/March caminos. Perhaps a search would prepare you for that time of the year. In December 2005 there were 668 pilgrims and last February only 351 pilgrims got their compostela - 110 started in Sarria (13 at St Jean and 28 at Roncesvalles)
In March 1093 got the compostela. 60 started at St Jean and 56 at Roncesvalles.
If you want to be alone on the camino this is the time to go.
Buen camino.