Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Peregrino at Alto do Roque
E. O. Pederson 2004
Ignorance
The text of an email I sent to a local radio program on Station KUOW where the topic of the day was "pilgrimage"
"Ignorance of the third most important pilgrimage in the Christian world is appalling, evidence of the impoverished state of American education! According to legend, the remains of the Apostle James (Santiago) are buried in Santiago de Compostela in NW Spain. The legend is far too long and complex to recount here, but for over 1,000 years pilgrims, numbering in the millions over time, have trudged across Europe to Santiago. The pilgrimage was the key element in the forging of a common European culture, at least according to Goethe, and references to the Santiago pilgrimage are to be found in a huge array of European literary masterpieces including the Canterbury Tales and several Shakespeare plays. The route was designated by the European Community as the primary European Cultural Itinerary, and today it attracts thousands of pilgrims every year. This year is a holy year, for St. James day was on a Sunday (July 25th), and about million pilgrims are expected to visit Santiago. The pilgrimage is far more important in European culture and history than the better known (in the US at least) treks to Fatima and Lourdes, both products of the past couple of centuries.
I am an avowed atheist, but I have made the pilgrimage to Santiago twice, each time 30 days of walking from the French border, because the route provides an unparalleled view of our common heritage as Europeans. The scenery and the architecture are breathtaking, and the long walk, 20 miles or so each day, is a wonderful chance to think. It also happened to be a fantastic opportunity to meet people from all parts of the world. The city of Santiago de Compostela is one of the treasures of humanity, and it should be a must see for anyone interested in art, architecture, or European culture. Until the Reformation, the pilgrimage to Santiago, along with that to Rome, was to European culture and Christianity what the pilgrimage to Mecca is to Muslims."
The email was sent in response to a rather dismissive conversation the program host had earlier in the hour with a caller who was trying to describe her experiences. The host was well-aware of the Haj, the pilgrimage to Guadalupe in Mexico as well as a variety of new agey pilgrimages yet wholly ignorant of Santiago.
"Ignorance of the third most important pilgrimage in the Christian world is appalling, evidence of the impoverished state of American education! According to legend, the remains of the Apostle James (Santiago) are buried in Santiago de Compostela in NW Spain. The legend is far too long and complex to recount here, but for over 1,000 years pilgrims, numbering in the millions over time, have trudged across Europe to Santiago. The pilgrimage was the key element in the forging of a common European culture, at least according to Goethe, and references to the Santiago pilgrimage are to be found in a huge array of European literary masterpieces including the Canterbury Tales and several Shakespeare plays. The route was designated by the European Community as the primary European Cultural Itinerary, and today it attracts thousands of pilgrims every year. This year is a holy year, for St. James day was on a Sunday (July 25th), and about million pilgrims are expected to visit Santiago. The pilgrimage is far more important in European culture and history than the better known (in the US at least) treks to Fatima and Lourdes, both products of the past couple of centuries.
I am an avowed atheist, but I have made the pilgrimage to Santiago twice, each time 30 days of walking from the French border, because the route provides an unparalleled view of our common heritage as Europeans. The scenery and the architecture are breathtaking, and the long walk, 20 miles or so each day, is a wonderful chance to think. It also happened to be a fantastic opportunity to meet people from all parts of the world. The city of Santiago de Compostela is one of the treasures of humanity, and it should be a must see for anyone interested in art, architecture, or European culture. Until the Reformation, the pilgrimage to Santiago, along with that to Rome, was to European culture and Christianity what the pilgrimage to Mecca is to Muslims."
The email was sent in response to a rather dismissive conversation the program host had earlier in the hour with a caller who was trying to describe her experiences. The host was well-aware of the Haj, the pilgrimage to Guadalupe in Mexico as well as a variety of new agey pilgrimages yet wholly ignorant of Santiago.
