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El Rocío pilgrimage runs late after Doñana fire, with heart‑warming family moment
The annual Romería del Rocío concluded on 25 May with crowds gathering in Almonte, Huelva, after days of procession through Andalusia. Designer Lourdes Montes highlighted the emotive scene when bullfighter Fran Rivera embraced his daughter Tana in front of the arriving image of the Virgin of El Rocío, describing it as a moment full of “many emotions.”
The Hermandad Matriz of Almonte delayed its return to the town because a forest fire broke out in the Doñana National Park on the Sunday before the pilgrimage. Fire‑fighting teams brought the blaze under control by the following night, allowing the brotherhood to depart at 17:00 on Thursday and arrive before sunset. The fraternity expressed solidarity with the fire‑fighters and pledged support for future events, including the septennial transfer of the Virgin in August.