Attended the pilgrims mass at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The cathedral was packed. At the end of the mass, the botafumeiro was used. It’s an 80 kg “incensory made of silver-plated brass [that] swings like an enormous pendulum through the sanctuary, leaving behind a trail of smoke and the fragrance of incense.” It’s swung by eight monks using a rope and pulley, reaches the vaulted cathedral ceiling at the peak of its swing and is a spectacular sight in full flight. No photos as cameras weren’t supposed to be used during the mass (the following shots were taken before and after the service – you can see the botafumeiro in the first one, hanging above the altar).
Ignoring the ‘no photos’ thing, Alton – one of my fellow peregrinos – managed to, shall we say, ‘obtain’ a video of the botafumeiro in action. Alton also has written a better description of it than mine, on his blog here.
Afternoon tea at the grand old (since 1873) Café Casino …
Tomorrow Saturday I’ll join a bus tour out to Muxia and Cape Finisterre. (I’ve decided to rest the weary body and defer the Camino de Finisterre walk to another trip.) I’ll leave Santiago on Sunday for Porto in Portugal (around three hours on the bus).
