La Fiesta de Santa Marta de Ribarteme, Spain

Assalamualaikum.

Now, I'll take you to the northwest part of Spain called Galicia since there is another unique festival to share about.

La Fiesta de Santa Marta de Ribarteme or in other words Festival of Near Death Experience is a religious festival where those who have managed to cheat death in the previous 12 months will be placed in coffins and will be parading them through the town, and honors Saint Marta de Ribarteme, the patron of resurrection.

This unique event draws quite a crowd, so technically on the day of the festival the streets of Las Nieves are packed with thousands of believers and gawkers.

Around 10 am on 29th July, the lucky almost-dead will climb to the coffin and will be carried by the solemnly-dressed relatives to the local church. The one who don't have any family can also attend the macabre ceremony but they have to carry their own coffin.

The situation when the festival has started

A special mass starts around noon and is broadcast outside the church via loudspeakers, so the crowd can listen to it as well. When the mass is over, the church bells start to ring and the coffins carrying the dead-looking lucky survivors are carried uphill to the town cemetery and then brought back to circle few times around the church. As a large statue of Santa Marta de Ribarteme is taken out of the church and paraded around with the coffins the crowd starts chanting "Virgin Santa Marta , star of the North, we bring you those who saw death."

The statue of Santa Marta de Ribarteme

Once the bizarre coffin-carrying part of the festivities comes to an end, the almost-dead rise and start telling people about their extraordinary near-death experiences. Everyone will dances the night away and celebrates life as the closing of the festival.

So readers, how was it ? I believe this festival purpose is to make them feel grateful as they still have chances to still breathing.

It is a pleasure for me to share a video on how this festival happens and readers, you are welcome to spend some of you minutes to watch this video. Enjoy :)