Religion in Spain

History

King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabel I (1474-1516) decreed that all the Spanish people had to be converted to Roman Catholicism. Those who practiced other religions such as Islam or Judaism were forced to change religion. If not they were executed or exiled from Spain.

Nowadays, almost 97% of Spaniards are Roman Catholics, Muslim and Jews have freedom to practice their religions.

Most of the population in Spain declare theirselves as Catholic, although the percentage of practitioners is much lower. There are also Protestant and Muslim minorities, due to immigration.

The great majority of holidays are religious. The best known are the Corpus Christi Day, the First Communion day, and Holy Week, the week before Easter. During that week, the festival is celebrated by processions in the streets where penitents walk. "Pasos", a type of float with statues featuring Passion of Christ scenes, are carried through the streets. Holy Week processions are the most popular of Seville, Andalusia.

Roman Catholicism

Roman Catholicism is one of the oldest denominations in Christianity. Christianity is based on the Jesus' teachings, which Christians believe he is the Son of God. The life of Jesus and his teachings are written in the holy book, called New Testament, which is part of the Bible. Catholics, in addition to worship Christ, worship his mother, Mary, and hundreds of other saints, through whom God performs miracles.

Santiago de Compostela

Many Christians honor the saints making trips to places where they are buried. These trips are called pilgrimages. For centuries, pilgrims from all over the world have visited the city of Santiago de Compostela, nortwestern Spain. The pilgrims come to celebrate the Santiago's saint day on July 25 and believe that Saint James is buried in the cathedral of the city. St. James is the patron saint of Spain, which means he is the protector of the country.

According to legend, when the Saint Jaime's body arrived to Santiago de Compostela in a boat, a horse and rider fell into the ocean. Instead of drowning, they emerged from the sea covered with shells. People think that James was responsible for this miracle. Today, when pilgrims travel hundreds of miles on foot, bicycle or on horseback to Santiago de Compostela, wear shells as a reminder of the miracle. When the pilgrims arrive to Santiago de Compostela visit the St. James' tomb and rub the neck of his statue to receive his blessing.

The Rocío Pilgrimage

Christians in Spain make another important pilgrimage to the town of El Rocío, Huelva, southern Spain. In the 1400's, a hunter found the image of Mary in the trunk of a tree. At first, people traveled from nearby villages once a year to see the Virgin. They believed it had healing powers and could perform miracles. Today, nearly one million pilgrims travel from all over Spain to see the Virgin in the church of Nuestra Señora del Rocío. Shouts of "Long live the Queen of the Marshes!" are heard many times during the week-long festival, which is known as the Rocío Pilgrimage. Pilgrims carry the Virgin. Crowds of faithful pilgrims follow the Virgin and try to touch it to receive good luck.

Other Religions

There are about 300,000 Muslims living in Spain. The Muslims who came from North Africa in 711 AD are called "Moros" (Moors). The Moors ruled Spain for centuries. Muslims practice the religion of Islam, which is based on the God's teachings, "Allah" for them, and his prophet Muhammad. These teachings are found in the holy book called the Quran, written in Arabic.

About 12,000 Jews live in Spain too. The Jews came to Spain with the Romans, who invaded the country around 200 BC, ruling Spain for the next 600 years. The Jews follow the teachings of its holy book, the Torah, written in Hebrew.