Romeiros

Today I set off at 4:15 a.m. to take Rainer to the airport. On the way there, I encountered a group of singing men. I had already heard another group yesterday morning and watched them walk past my house.

On the way back from the airport, I overtook two more of them in the pitch black. This time I parked further ahead at Parque de Merendas de Mosteiros because I had seen a lit cross there. Then I observed their activities from a distance.

They are Romeiros.

Romeiros are groups of men who travel around the island as religious pilgrims during Lent (before Easter).

They can be recognized by their dark cloaks or scarves, rosaries around their necks, walking sticks in their hands, and backpacks on their backs. They are often singing or praying as they travel.

The groups walk around São Miguel for about a week, visiting many churches and chapels along the way.

They pray together, sing religious songs, stop at shrines, and stay overnight with families in the villages.

Their journey can cover around 300 km.

This is a form of penance and gratitude in the Catholic faith. Many pilgrims undertake the pilgrimage out of personal vows: for health or family, for a good future for the Azores, or simply out of tradition and a sense of community.

The Romeiros often walk at dawn or very early in the morning because their daily schedule is strictly organized, and they want to visit as many chapels as possible each day. Furthermore, singing together at dawn is part of the spiritual atmosphere.

Mosteiros, where I live, lies on the classic coastal route that many Romeiros walk during their circumnavigation of the island. During Lent, several "ranchos" (pilgrim groups) travel through this very area.

Around Mosteiros Romeiros often come from: Ginetes, Candelária, or Sete Cidades. They are recognizable by their scarves/colors, as each group has slightly different colors and prayer rhythms.

In the first two videos you don't hear the rhythmic singing but sacred music from the tape near the cross. They typically chant rhythmically when they walk. A leader calls out a line, the group responds—this way they keep pace and remain spiritually focused.

I saw them very early in the morning, so they were probably on one of the longer stages of the day and had been walking since about 4 or 5 a.m.

During a morning prayer stage, on the way from the west coast towards the north of the island, stopping at the cross in Parque de Merendas de Mosteiros is a fixed ritual.

The Romeiros pilgrimage dates back to the time after the devastating earthquakes of the 16th century. Since then, every year during Lent, groups of men walk around the island in prayer—one of the most vibrant traditions of the Azores.Read more