Video. Hundreds gather in El Rocío to honour La Blanca Paloma

As the first light brushes the Andalusian countryside, a gentle rhythm of tambourines and flutes marks the start of something more than a journey.

In the village of El Rocío, pilgrims dressed in flowing flamenco dresses and riding horseback set out under a rising sun. “It’s not just tradition, it’s devotion”, murmurs a young woman adjusting flowers in her hair.

From Gines to Almonte, over 1,000 pilgrims move in harmony, wagons rolling, oxen anointed, prayers whispered. At 8.30 am, the Brotherhood’s “Simpecado” begins its solemn march.