Pyrenean Pilgrimage – the Cult of the White Stork

The Pyrenees are known for a number of pilgrimages, including of course the most famous of all, to Lourdes at the base of the French Pyrenees.

A more recent pilgrimage that has evolved in the past few years is that of the cult of the European White Stork.

Each year in late February and early March these large white birds migrate from Africa to northern Europe. In their way stand the 12,000 foot high peaks of the Pyrenees. When the reach the foot of the mountains the great flocks of birds rest and feed before attempting to cross the high mountains. If the weather is bad they remain on the ground resting and feeding, but most days they set off during the late morning to try to climb high enough to cross the mountains into France. They use thermals and sometimes the lift created by the wind flowing over the mountains known as Mountain Lee Wave to try to climb high enough to cross the peaks. Although they spend hours climbing in huge gaggles on most days there is too much cloud, or they cannot climb high enough, so they return to the Spanish side of the Pyrenees to rest and feed until the next attempt.

Eventually after many attempts the day comes when rising currents of air over the mountains lift them high enough into the freezing cold air to make the crossing, and they are able to continue their journey.

The members of the Cult of the White Stork gather every year at this time on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees and worship the birds by attempting to imitate their great feat of skill and endurance.

The pilgrims gather at the temple complex of Santa Cilia, where a number of large temples have been erected on the flat floor of a huge valley, and three great lines have been marked out on the valley floor. These lines, known as ‘Grava’, ‘Hierba’ and ‘Asfalto’ and their intersecting lines can only be truly appreciated from the air, rather like the lines drawn out on the desert in Nasca in Peru.

The pilgrims bring with them great white flying machines, with which they attempt to imitate the skill and endurance of the White Storks by using the rising air currents to fly high over the mountains.

The pilgrims work in teams to keep the flying machines in the air as much as possible, returning to earth frozen and exhausted after a few hours so that the next team can fly the machine again, often making many flights in each machine in one day. Such is the arduousness of the task that pilgrimage is staggered so that new pilgrims arrive each week to replace those too exhausted to continue.

Each morning the pilgrims gather in a special room in the temple complex where the ceremonies are presided over by Anna, the high priestess of the temples. Anna is considered by many of the pilgrims to be a goddess, and these pilgrims will only walk behind Anna, never in front of her, and hang on her every word. During the first ceremony of the day Anna produces many strange and brightly coloured symbols which she uses to divine the future. These symbols are mysterious to most people, but the pilgrims have spent many hours studying their meanings and using them to predict future events. In their own country there is an entire cult given over to the meaning of the symbols and how to use them for divination, presided over by the high priest known as ‘WeatherJack’.

The next part of the ritual takes place in the large temple buildings where the flying machines are placed for the night. The pilgrims undertake a complex process whereby, under the orders of Anna, they perform a complex dance holding on to parts of the flying machines that result in the machines resting in a special area outside the large temple.

The machines are taken to one end of one of the great lines, and the pilgrims await the arrival of the Storks. Once the storks arrive and begin to circle, the flying machines are prepared for flight. The pilgrims mark the starting point of their flight by urinating on the edge of the Great Line that they are using. One at a time they are led by Anna into the mountains, where the pilgrims attempt to use the air currents to fly like the Storks to rise high into the mountains.

The pilgrims show great skill and bravery and endure great feats of suffering in the thin cold air high above the mountains in an attempt to impress the High Priestess Anna with their devotion.

Eventually, frozen and exhausted they return to the temple complex, reciting a special prayer taught to them by Anna during their initiation, to ensure a safe landing:

Viento en Cola

Dos sierte

Asfalto

 Once safely back on the ground they again mark their return by urinating on the edge of the Great Line where they have landed

Once the last flying machine has returned to earth in the evening the pilgrims again perform an exact reverse of the complex dance while holding parts of the flying machines, which results in them being placed very precisely in their anointed place in the Large Temple.

Once this task has been completed Anna mysteriously disappears, indeed she has no name other than Anna, and no-one knows where she goes after the ceremonies have ended. At this point the pilgrims move to another special part of the temple complex where they partake of a special intoxicating amber liquid known as ‘Tubo’. The more devout pilgrims go without food, and drink Tubo until they are unable to stand, and have to be carried to bed.

Eventually, as the last of the White Storks cross the mountains and continue on their great journey the pilgrims dismantle their flying machines and return to their own country, where they spend the next eleven months practicing the divination of the coloured symbols, the special dance and using the air currents to fly great distances, and dream of their return to the high mountains where they can once again show their devotion to Anna