Santiago de Compostela (Saturday)

The highlight of our day was definitely to see the Botafumerio swing at the 12:00 mass. The Botafumerio is the largest incense censer in the world and swings nearly to the ceiling of the cathedral. It is about 4.5 tall and weighs well over 100 pounds. It used to be used at most masses (or maybe it was the Pilgrim masses, I'm not sure), but now is only used on holy days or when a group pays for it. They never tell ahead of time if this is the case, so you have no idea when you go to mass. Moriah and I went in quite early and literally got the best seats in the house for viewing it.

The pulley system was replaced in 1604, so I was hoping it would hold since we were right below it. Apparently it has flown off in the (far distant) past!

This incense burner has swung since the middle ages. Incense is a part of Catholic worship, of course (Psalm 141:2), but the practice is also tied to needing to cover the smell of unwashed pilgrims in the middle ages arriving from across Europe, and to hopefully stop the spread of diseases like the plague.

Tomorrow we will bus to the western coast of Spain (Atlantic Ocean) to Finisterre/Fisterra. More on that tomorrow!Read more