The pilgrims from Málaga La Caleta set off for the village of El Rocío

Rafael Rodríguez

Málaga

The Royal Brotherhood of Our Lady of Rocío from Málaga La Caleta is now en route to the village of Rocío. They set off ... on the afternoon of this Friday, after the pilgrim's mass held at the Santiago parish, officiated by the parish priest and spiritual director, Miguel Ángel Gamero.

The religious ceremony featured musical accompaniment from the choir of the corporation itself, and at its conclusion, at 5:55 PM, the pilgrims carried the simpecado by hand from the central church on Granada Street, which they left to the sounds of the National Anthem played by pipers and drummers, to the brotherhood house of Madre de Dios, where the silver cart was already prepared for the enthrone of the piece.

During the first meters, the simpecado was carried by the cart mayor, Rafael Arriaza, who, still inside the church and until reaching the street, carried it facing the Blessed Sacrament.

Once at Madre de Dios, dances, songs, and cheers ensued when the cart designed by Jesús Castellanos three decades ago began its journey pulled by two oxen, including a petal throw at the start. The first pull of the oxen was done by the former senior lieutenant brother, Curro Giménez Bovio.



The rocieros from La Caleta, in a festive atmosphere, headed to the sanctuary of La Victoria to bid farewell to the Patron Saint of Málaga. Before reaching the basilica, the procession traveled along the south side of Plaza de la Merced and Victoria Street in an ascending direction. During this route, which was filled with singing and joy, the brotherhood was greeted by the confraternities of El Rico, Humildad, and Rescate at the doors of their newly restored chapel, and stopped in front of the San Lázaro parish, where a representation of the Rocío Brotherhood was present with the Bride of Málaga presiding over its altar and dressed for its pre-Pentecost cults.

The pilgrim procession, without carts, was led by three pipers and drummers from the brotherhood, one adult and two children, followed by the flags of La Caleta and the youth. Next were the flag bearers, with the flags of Spain, Málaga, of the Virgin of Victory, and the Vatican, pilgrims with walking sticks, the banners of the Brotherhood of the Sweet Name and of the corporation itself, the governing board headed by its elder brother, José Antonio Martín, along with the president of the Glory Group, Victoria Eugenia Ribes, and the simpecado embroidered by the Martín Cruz sisters and Manuel Mendoza, designed by Fernando Prini, enthroned on its silversmith cart, made by the Borrero workshops in Sevilla with a sketch by Jesús Castellanos. And, of course, several dozen devotees, who added color to the procession with their pilgrim styles, and did not stop singing to the Queen of the Marshes.

The sounds of pipers and drummers accompanied the pilgrims, many of them dressed in traditional country and flamenco outfits, while the rociera sevillanas and improvised prayers set the pace of the farewell.

At 6:55 PM, with the simpecado cart stopped at Fernando el Católico Street, the permanent board entered the sanctuary of Santa María de la Victoria through the San José door. The reception was led by the parish priest of the temple, Alejandro Escobar, and the elder brother of the patron's brotherhood, Miguel Orellana. Inside, a representation of the Love Brotherhood, with its elder brother, Álvaro Guardiola, at the front, and the Parochial Group of the Sun. The procession that accessed the basilica went up to the chamber of the patron image for the farewell before starting the journey.

After leaving the Victoria neighborhood, not without first saying goodbye to the brothers of Monte Calvario, the pilgrims headed to Capuchinos to pay a visit to the parish of the Divine Shepherdess of Souls. In the Capuchin square, the simpecado was lowered from the cart before entering the church, where representatives of the brotherhoods of the Divine Shepherdess, Sweet Name, and Capture also awaited, and at this location, the urban procession concluded, as although a visit to María Auxiliadora was planned, it ultimately did not take place, coinciding with the start time of the novena in honor of the Virgin of Don Bosco, the devotion of the Salesian family.

Journey to Utrera

After the walking tour through the Victoria and Capuchinos neighborhoods, and as occurred last year by recommendation of the Civil Guard of Málaga, the brothers undertook the journey by bus to Utrera, where they will spend the first night at the Hacienda de la Chaparra. The Malaga expedition consists of about 350 people, accompanied by 36 carts and 19 carriages, which, already in the province of Sevilla, will form a rociera caravan that will cross parts of the provinces of Sevilla and Huelva until reaching the Almonte village next Thursday, May 21.

This Saturday will begin the real journey through the paths and meadows of Andalusia. The departure from Utrera is set at 9 AM and will be carried out 'at the pace of oxen,' a phrase that in the rociero universe summarizes the slow and solemn rhythm of the ancient pilgrimages. The day will lead the procession to the Hacienda de la Florida for the Angelus prayer, and later, towards the Dehesa de la Atalaya, already in the municipal term of Coria del Río, where the second camp will be set up.

Sunday will be marked by one of the traditional moments of the itinerary, such as the passage of the Coria barge. The brotherhood will cross the Guadalquivir around noon and pray the Angelus during the crossing, before visiting the church of Our Lady of the Star and then greeting the Brotherhood of Rocío de Coria del Río. The day will conclude with a brotherhood mass scheduled for 8 PM.

On Monday, the path will delve into landscapes of pine forests and marshes, with arrival planned at the Playeros Lagoons after a day that will include the rosary prayer at nightfall. The candles carried by the pilgrims will light the course of the simpecado among sevillanas, prayers, and songs, forming another of the most characteristic scenes of the rociera pilgrimage.

Especially emotional will be Tuesday, when the brotherhood faces the crossing of the Vado del Quema, considered one of the most significant points of all the Rocío paths. La Caleta will then continue towards Villamanrique de la Condesa, where it will make its official entrance at 8:30 PM passing through the historic porches of the church of the Sevillian town.

The penultimate day, scheduled for Wednesday, will take the pilgrims to the Raya Real. After a long siesta in lands of the Brotherhood of Triana, the procession will advance at night among pine forests, lit only by candles and a spotlight that will illuminate the simpecado. The arrival at the King's Palace is expected already at dawn, in one of the most breathtaking and awaited images of the journey.

Finally, on Thursday, May 21, the brotherhood will face the last stage until reaching the Ajolí bridge at about 3:30 PM. It will then be the reunion with numerous brothers and devotees who await each year the arrival of La Caleta to the village. The brotherhood house of Málaga, one of the first to be seen upon entering El Rocío, will once again receive the pilgrims with the sound of its bells as the silver cart heads the last meters of a journey that mixes sacrifice, coexistence, and devotion.

With the arrival at the village, the events organized by the Matriz Brotherhood of Almonte and the various rociera affiliates will begin, culminating during Pentecost with the eagerly awaited processional outing of the Virgin of Rocío, one of the most populous religious and popular events in Spain.

The first day of reception of the affiliate brotherhoods, which start with those of lesser antiquity, will be next Friday, May 22, starting at 6 PM. The Brotherhood of Málaga La Caleta will do so that day, and at noon on Saturday, May 23, it will be the turn for the other corporation of the capital, that of the church of the Most Holy Trinity, which will start the journey this Saturday.

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