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Will You Join the Buen Camino Tribe?

Walk the Camino de Santiago and you'll belong to the Buen Camino tribe forever.

By Samantha WilsonPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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As I was walking along the street with a friend here in Porto, my home city, I suddenly greeted a man on a bike with a big “Buen Camino!” the customary greeting between Camino de Santiago Pilgrims.

The man gave me a big smile back and said, “Thank you. Buen Camino!”

As we carried on, my friend looked at me in disbelief. “How could you possibly know that that man was cycling the Camino de Santiago?” I laughed. “Come with me,” I said, turned on my heel and walked back towards the Pilgrim.

You see, while many people choose to begin in Lisbon, Porto is also one of the major starting points of the Portuguese Camino de Santiago. The Camino de Santiago is a network of trails that run throughout Europe.

The Camino de Santiago is not just a long-distance hike. It is a Pilgrimage, a spiritual quest or an act of devotion if you hold religious beliefs. For the rest, it is an adventure. A challenge of a lifetime to walk day in, day out, with random strangers along the road to Santiago, often referred to as “The Way.”

The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the alleged final resting place of St. James, is the ultimate destination of every Pilgrim, whichever Camino de Santiago they walk.

The people who walk the Camino de Santiago are referred to as Pilgrims and the greeting between Pilgrims is a good old “Buen Camino,” which translates to “Good Way.”

As we approached the Pilgrim, I showed my friend the seashell hanging from the front of his bike. “Look. This is how I know that he is on the Road to Santiago, my friend. This is the sign of a Camino Pilgrim.”

The shell is the universal symbol of the Pilgrim. The grooves on the inside of the shell are said to represent the many paths throughout Europe, all of which lead to Santiago. The tradition began in Medieval times, when Pilgrims would collect a shell at Finisterre as proof that they had walked the Camino de Santiago.

The shell also had a practical purpose—a Medieval Pilgrim would often use the shell as a means of begging for alms in the towns and villages they passed through along the way.

These days, the shell is used on the many markers that sign post the Camino de Santiago, and many Pilgrims choose to hang a shell from their bag pack or, in this case, their bike as a mark that they are a Pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago.

The Pilgrim was from Germany, as was my friend. They chatted away for a few minutes, as the Pilgrim shared his journey.

As we walked away, my friend said, “Aaah! I see!”

As we made our way past Porto Cathedral, where most Pilgrims begin their Camino, stopping by to pick up their Pilgrim Credential and have their passport stamped, I said, “Look—there’s one and another and another. The Buen Camino Tribe is everywhere.”

Indeed, Camino de Santiago Pilgrims are everywhere, especially in Porto, one of the starting places of the Camino de Santiago. Never mind the rucksack or the walking boots. The dead giveaway is always the pilgrim shell, proudly displayed for all to see, usually dangling from a rucksack.

For this reason, the people who walk the Camino de Santiago, whether for a day, a week, or a month, belong to the Buen Camino tribe forever.

There’s a whole Buen Camino tribe from every country, continent, culture, and race. If you decide to walk the Camino de Santiago, you'll join the Buen Camino Tribe, too.

Photo Credit Mark's Camino on Instagra

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About the Creator

Samantha Wilson

Visit Samantha at www.samantha-wilson.com or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/samanthawilson or Instagram at www.instagram.com/samanthaemmawilson

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