Here are some fun facts:
- Although now the standard greeting is Buen Camino, in medieval times it was ultreia meaning 'further onward,' with the standard response being et suseia 'and further upward,' highlighting the physical and spiritual aspects of the journey.
- Over 150,000 people walk the Camino per year, and over one million medieval pilgrims underwent the journey.
- Santiago is one of three main Christian pilgrimage sites, along with Rome and Jerusalem.
- Codex Calixtinus, the first Camino guidebook, was written in the 12th century.
- Many pilgrims walk with a scallop shell, which is common along the Galician coast. The shell is said to represent the fingers of an open hand, symbolizing the good deeds expected of a pilgrim. Another interpretation is that the lines of the shell, which converge at a single point, represent the pilgrimage roads convening in Santiago. Those who died were buried with their shell.
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