Where People Live To Try The Feeling Of Death In Spain

At the Santa Marta de Ribarteme festival, those who have died are placed in coffins and carried around the village and back to the church.
Where people live to try the feeling of death in Spain
A crowd, holding their crosses, slowly moved and leaned slightly to avoid them as the first coffins passed. Silence enveloped the air. That's what you'll see on a summer afternoon in the Galicia region of northwest Spain.
The festival celebrates life in the atmosphere of funerals in Spain

. Photo: BBC.
However, it was not a funeral, even with a coffin. Inside those wooden coffins are living people They are the ones who are close to death but fortunately survived the 12-month period up to the time of the festival.



These people were placed in coffins by friends and family and carried around the village, church, cemetery and back to the church. At the end of the ceremony, the lucky survivors will tell everyone about their experiences.
"It is a symbol of victory over death," said Alfonso Besada Paraje, a local priest about the dead lying in a coffin. In fact, everyone is participating in an activity as part of the Santa Marta de Ribarteme wade. The event is held every July in the small village and gives everyone a chance to experience near-death experiences. Through that activity, the festival wants people to appreciate life more and thank heaven and earth for being alive.
Many fortunate people who have survived the illnesses often return here on a pilgrimage Photo: BBC.




In addition to carrying a coffin, people also process a statue of St. Marta de Ribarteme (a patron saint for those lucky to escape death). This is also to show gratitude to St. Marta - who according to legend helps people out of death.
The festival is a centuries-old custom of the local people, but its origins remain unknown. However, today, this event is becoming famous at home and abroad. Thousands of tourists flocked in, filling the small streets of Santa Marta de Ribarteme.
Besides visiting this strange festival, many people also come as pilgrims, showing their devotion.



"I came to thank St. Marta for helping my grandmother get rid of cancer," said a 20-year-old tourist who traveled 600 km from Madrid to here. After the boy's grandmother passed away, he often went to the festival with his father each year to show his sincerity.
A woman who lost two legs also went to the festival. She said she was seriously ill and had to amputate her legs 17 years ago. Since then, every year she has come back here to thank St. Marta for giving her life.
After the procession, the festival ends with dining, dancing, resounding music and fireworks everywhere.



Everyone gathered and told each other stories of their own escape from death. The popular dish during the festival is Rulpo a Feira, a Galicia-style octopus. This dish will be boiled, sprinkled with chili powder and eaten on a thick wooden plate, potato slices underneath and local wine drink.
Rulpo a Feira octopus dish. Photo: Culture Trip.
The festival is held in the small village of As Nives in the city of Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain.
In Vietnam, many tour operators organize tours to the cities of Spain - Portugal, with a price of 70 million VND for a 10-day 9-night journey. The fare from Hanoi (Vietnam) to Madrid (Spain) is about 400 USD one way.



Vietnamese tourists must apply for a visa when they come to Spain. Service visa price is about 2 million VND.
According to Anh Minh / Vnexpress
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