About 10,000 people accompanied Santa Eulalia, Patroness of Totana, today in the pilgrimage back to their sanctuary in Sierra Espuña, according to local police sources, during a great festive day in which, in addition, they accompanied the weather conditions.
In the pilgrimage participated thousands of pilgrims who wrapped in the image of the Patron during the seven-kilometer entourage, and to which the hundreds that waited, in the vicinity of the places near the hermitage cooking traditional dishes, the typical ones rice and crumbs to the firewood.
The Patroness of Totana has returned today to her hermitage after having stayed since last December 8 in the city on the occasion of the festivities and Christmas, coinciding with the local holiday.
The return of La Santa to his sanctuary was celebrated today, January 7, as agreed in his day in the popular consultation promoted by the La Santa Foundation.
Thousands of people have congregated in the environment of the sanctuary either participating in the pilgrimage or joining the dozens of fires lit during the whole day of festive outdoor living that was held in the vicinity of this natural site.
From the early hours of the morning there were many pilgrims who concentrated on the enabled places near the hermitage to receive La Santa and in order to condition their spaces with fires enabled for the occasion.
The holiday began at eight in the morning with a mass officiated at the church of Santiago El Mayor, which was attended by the Minister of Agriculture and Water, Antonio Luengo, and the mayor of Totana, Juan José Cánovas, among others personalities
Numerous members of the Municipal Corporation also attended, as well as other religious authorities and members of the Board of Trustees of the La Santa Foundation.
In addition, at the Mass held in the atrium, upon the arrival of the Patron Saint at the sanctuary, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Education and Culture, the totanera Juana Mulero, who met at the hands of the patrons of La Santa the Road project Eulaliense
During the pilgrimage, thousands of pilgrims of all ages formed a human flood, which started with the image of the Patron at nine o'clock - as tradition dictates - and which was dismissed from the town center, in the place of El Rulo , on their way back to the hermitage, benefiting from the good weather conditions that were recorded during the holiday.
During the tour, the songs of the gangs and cheers of the participants have continued to sound, showing once again the love for their patron, so that three hours later, the image of La Santa has reached the atrium of the sanctuary, where another Eucharistic celebration presided by the pastor Francisco José Fernández has taken place.
After the climb, the holiday continued, as many people have remained in the vicinity of the place of La Santa to enjoy the rest of the day of the typical products of Totana and gastronomic dishes cooked for the occasion, such as crumbs, sausages and rices
The MU-502 road that connects the towns of Totana and Aledo has been cut off to traffic until after 13:00 hours that it was finally restored, so that an alternative route to the transit of vehicles through the new road of La Santa was enabled for facilitate access to vehicles near the sanctuary during the pilgrimage.
A security device composed of more than 50 Civil Protection, Fire, Civil Guard and Local Police officers ensured the safety of the pilgrims.
In the same way, a bus service was enabled to go up to the sanctuary from 7:30 am, whose departure point on this occasion was next to the Rambla de La Santa so that users could enjoy the holiday.
Throughout the day a bus service also went down to pilgrims and visitors from the place of the Angel to the city.
According to sources of Civil Protection, during the day the health services attended a total of seven people, six being mild for burns, cuts, dizziness and sprains;
and one moderated by a syncope, having to be transferred to the "Rafael Méndez" hospital in Lorca.
See more photos:
https://www.totana.com/reportajes/2020/01/romeria-santa-eulalia-7-enero/
