The Botafumeiro

[sillydoll]

In 2007 my husband walked the last 100km of the Camino Frances, joining me at Sarria. He was very disappointed not to see the Botafumeiro at two mid-day masses.

When I made enquiries at the Pilgrim's Office about the swinging of the Botafumeiro I was told that it follows a liturgical calendar that forms part of the mass. Outside of these dates, one can make a request, and payment, in advance to have it swung during the mass. The cost then was 240 euro - I'm not sure what it is now. Many groups share the cost so that they can see the Botafumeiro when they attend mass.

The fixed dates are:
January - Epiphany
Easter Sunday
Ascension of the Lord
Pentecost (50 days after Easter)
Anniversary of the Battle of Clavijo - May 23
July 25: Feast of St. James the Apostle
August: Assumption
All Saints
Feast of Christ the King (Sunday before the first Sunday of Advent
Dec. 8: Immaculate Conception
December 25: Christmas
December 30: translation of the Holy Apostle

To book the Botafumerio send a request to:
Pilgrims Centre
Rúa do Vilar, 1
15705 Santiago de Compostela
Tel: (+34) 981 568 846
http://www.archicompostela.org / Pilgrim
peregrinos@archicompostela.org

 

[JohnnieWalker]

300€ now I think

The cathedral justify the cost by saying that when the Botafumeiro is used for litugical purposes only (and sometimes at the startg of the mass) they pay for the men when pull the rope. When people wish to see the botafumeiro fly purely as a spectacle then the 8 red-robed tiraboleiros who prepare it, light the charcoal, make it fly then dismantle it, need to be paid.

 

[sillydoll]

Thanks John - it would be nice if there was a notice on the site that tells pilgrims when the Botafumeiro will swing. I know its not what the mass is about (Don Jaime scolded me about that in 2002!) but it would be nice to know beforehand and perhaps have time to reserve it for a particular day.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Hola Sil

I can't see them agreeing to do that for the reasons you give. Sometimes if people ask in the office and there is time to look in the diary pilgrims can find out when it will be used. A good way to tell is if it is hanging in the Cathedral it usually will be used!

John

 

[renegadepilgrim]

This information makes me feel truly blessed because I saw it two days in a row when I was in Santiago last May. It looks like one of those days was because of a military celebration of some sort. Cool!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I think the price was raised to 300 Euro last year for the swinging of the botafumeiro. I hit a triple on one day, a swinging at three different masses.