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The Romería is traditionally a pilgrimage through the countryside, carrying a religious effigy, normally to a shrine. Following behind are beautifully decorated horses and carts drawn by oxen, many of the pilgrims are dressed in traditional flamenco attire.
It is usual to spend the entire weekend camping out under the stars. There are many tents and home made living areas centered around a burning fire. There is drinking, traditional music and dancing until dawn. The whole family will cook or bbq and eat together, whilst the children can play safely nearby. The afternoons are spent visiting friends and usually there is someone who can play the guitar, in no time commences the singing and dancing, with the sun beating down and the beer flowing, there is very much a festival feel in the air.
This year, for the children, the people of Montecorto had organised a huge inflatable slide and also dotted around were various sweet stalls and candy floss sellers, for the adults, a bar and live music.
When: The Montecorto Romería is normally held in the first weekend of May.
Where:Leaving Montecorto, turn right sign posted Sevilla, at 1.5km turn left, heading to Zahara de la Sierra, follow this road for 2km, when you see the turn off for Grazalema on your left, turn right, the Romería site is on the patch of land to your right.
There are marked out parking bays on the grass area.
History: In 1280 King Don Alfonso comissioned a chapel to be built alongside the Guadalquivir river so that the local workers could worship a virgin called Santa Maria de las Rocinas, later known as El Rocío.
There are other accounts written, that a hunter found a statue in the woods, carried it over the lands and whilst resting it appeared back in it´s original place back in the woods, the hunter understood from this that a shrine should be erected in that spot.
Many of the Romerías in Spain are based upon one of the oldest pilgramages, The Pilgramage of El Rocio, brotherhoods from the 17th century stated that all pilgrims must follow the cart carrying the virgin either on foot or horseback and must be in full traditional dress.
This Pilgramage still is very popular to this day in the small Village of El Rocio, close to Huelva, more than half a million people converge from all over the world to the Ermita (shrine) which houses the virgen del Rocío.
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Exhibitions, Religious Events and Fiestas 
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