ceremony that attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all over Spain who travel by foot, carriage, or horseback to honor and celebrate the Virgin of El Rocio. The event combines religion and festivity, as the streets of El Rocio light up and people celebrate until the early hours, singing, playing guitar, and dancing flamenco. While the Romería is the celebration that attracts most people, other events and festivities are held during weekends throughout the year, especially during the warmer months. There is an immense sense of pride in the way jinetes (horsemen) prepare, pamper, and braid their stunning Andalusian horses before wandering the town’s streets. The gentle nature of this breed makes them treasured companions, and they remain patient while their riders socialise and gather around bars, hopping from one house terrace to the next.
Flamenco and fashion Flamenco and fashion play an important role in the cultural identity of this region, and with every year comes the opportunity to display new trends and
T R AV E L
accessories. Women dazzle in long,
A horse lover’s paradise
colorful flamenco dresses known as traje de flamenca, while men wear a traditional herdsmen uniform, the traje corto, which consists of a closely fitted jacket and trousers, long leather chaps, boots, and a broad-brimmed hat. Traditionally, men hold the reins while women in their flamenco dresses
An hour south of Seville, the capital of Andalusia, lies the legendary town of El Rocio. MATHILDE GREGOIRE shares some of its magic.
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sit sideways behind the saddle on a sheepskin pad with handles for them hold on to. It has not been until recently that more women have started taking up the reins. Known as amazonas, female riders can now also wear the traje corto,
pain’s ‘Wild West’ town of El Rocio
intersections even have corrals set up
with a jacket and a long, uniform skirt and
is a horse lover’s paradise. Its
for riders to lunge their horses. In this
leather boots. Children take part in the
specially adapted infrastructure
town, horses are the heroes, and they
festivities too, as many of them are in the
features broad, sandy, equine friendly
have priority over motor vehicles.
saddle before they even learn to walk.
roads, and parking spots reserved for
Each year, during the weekend leading
horses at the entrance of bars and
El Rocio on horseback
up to Pentecost Monday, the town
The best way to experience El Rocio is
grocery stores that remind you of a
celebrates the Romería, also known as
to visit the town like a local, which is, of
scene in a western movie. Some street
the Pilgrimage of El Rocio – a religious
course, on horseback! Doñana Horse
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