As a coping mechanism, you might say, the people of Las Nieves climb into coffins and take to the streets every year on July 29 in one of the most bizarre religious pilgrimages Spain has to offer.
In celebration of the Fiesta de Santa Marta de Ribarteme, translated as the Festival of the Near-Death Experience, you can mingle with the nearly dead as they’re carried in their coffins – while playing dead, mind you – to the church dedicated to Mary Magdalene’s sister all to honor Saint Marta de Ribarteme, the patron saint of resurrection. The procession then heads uphill to a cemetery and back down to circle the church and shrine erected in the saint’s honor, all the while chanting “Virgin Santa Marta, star of the North, we bring you those who saw death.”
You’ll find a nice mix of Christianity and paganism with a few sprinkles of profanity here and there, so it might be a good idea to leave the kids at home for this one. Everyone shares stories about their encounters with death and the ways they managed to escape the grim reaper’s clutches as bands play, religious souvenirs are sold and fireworks light the night sky.
(Image: Duncan Chard)
