Camino Craft - Valentine's Day card

So it’s almost Valentine’s Day so I thought that a Camino-inspired card would be a nice idea. This is based on a tradition from Denmark (yes, I know that the Camino isn’t there but I researched this for my Guide Unit as an activity as we’re doing an International; Valentine’s so I’ve saved myself some effort by merely doing some adapting!).

One of the popular Valentine’s Day customs in Denmark is that young couples swap funny little poems or love notes, known as ‘gaekkebrev’. The sender of a ‘gaekkebrev’ writes a rhyme for his beloved, though he signs the message with dots, not a name (one for each letter in their name). If the recipient guesses the name correctly, she receives an egg at Easter! If not then she has to give the sender an Easter egg. The Danes are world-famous for their intricate paper cutting.

Fold your paper in half and then half again and draw your design - Santiago Cathedral for example

Stars and scallop shells work well too

Cut out shapes and unfold

Make your paper less boxy maybe

Or start off with a shape - an arrow works well (if you only fold the paper once!)

Okay the scallop shell looks more like an acorn but you get the idea.

This would look more romantic on red paper but I didn't have any available!

Write the poem on and then give to your Valentine (or you could use this in a Camino scrapbook maybe?).

Henne bag ved havens hæk, fandt jeg denne vintergæk.

Hej, min hvide lille ven, nu er turen din igen.

Du skal gå til min ven, hviske så kan kan forstå,

han må gætte prikke små, for et påskeæg at få!

. . .

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The Camino Primitivo

The Camino Primitivo (or the Original Way) is reportedly the very first Camino Way to Santiago in the 9 th century when most of Spain was under the control of the Moors and it runs from near the city of Ovideo in Asturias as it starts in Villavicosa (which also lies on the Camino Norte so many people follow this Way from Basque city of San Sebastian (Donosti in Basque) or in from the French border at Irun ( this route then hugs the Bay of Biscay passing through Guernica, Bilbao, Santander, Llanes before going under the Picos de Europa and then heads along the coast to Ovideo) before branching off onto the Primitivo which goes across the mountains and through the city of Lugo before joining the Frances at Melide. The route is 320km long. Image taken from https://viaalpina2013.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/camino-del-norte-camino-primitivo/

Symbols of the three main Christian Pilgrimages

The symbol of the Pilgrim to Santiago is the Scallop shell of which many can be found on the coast of Galicia and it is actually a symbol of the Pilgrimage (and has become a symbol of other Christian Pilgrimages too) partly because you could find the shell easily there and so could go back home and show it off as proof that you had done the Pilgrimage. It has also been included in carvings in some Churches.

Camino Mascot

Those who have walked the Camino will probably have seen one or more of the Camino mascots along the Way but do you know their names? http://m.elcorreogallego.es/xacobeo/ecg/xubi-jubila-pelegrin-mascota-xacobea/idEdicion-2010-06-08/idNoticia-555962/

On the Camino

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