Jewellery and spiritual gifts with meaning to wish good luck, protection, safekeeping, success and well-being

2023-02-112023-04-12

GIFT for CAMINO WALKER: Relieves stress and worry?

Can jewellery intended to help combat negativity, worry and stress make a suitable gift for someone planning to walk El Camino?

With the Junta de Andalucía in southern Spain announcing further development of it’s own Camino routes – Camino del Argar, Camino Mozárabe and Camino al Rocío (see below), the prominence of walking Caminos as a cathartic experience to help purge the soul of life’s troubles, once again comes to the fore.

Founded in Christian faith and rooted in spiritual belief, some of the Camino jewellery in our SHOP has been added to a range of jewellery aimed at people wanting to combat any negativity, anxiety or stress in their lives, especially when starting something new or adventurous (including walking El Camino de Santiago, for example) and to help promote positivity, optimism and success.

Cross necklace gift of faith — Protection jewellery

Camino jewellery gift box — Protection jewellery

So can this jewellery also make a good gift for a Camino walker?

We think so, yes, because much of our jewellery for positivity, optimism and success is interchangeable with our traditional Camino jewellery:

St James cross with scallop shell necklace — Camino inspired gifts – meaningful jewellery

Scallop shell cufflinks — Camino inspired gifts – meaningful jewellery

Jewellery for positivity, optimism and success

The designs of our necklaces, bracelets and earrings are based on the principles of faith and belief . . the belief that one’s goals are achievable, whatever they are: It is jewellery with meaning. Nowhere is this feeling of belief and achievability more powerful than amongst the community of walkers (and bikers) who travel “El Camino de Santiago” (the Way of St. James) every year . . fired up by the dream and the enthusiasm for reaching their goal.

Santiago de Compostela goal of walkers — Along the Camino – walking to Santiago

Many Camino travellers have a strong Christian faith but, in recent decades, that Christian faith, once so common amongst Camino walkers, has given way somewhat to a more secular approach: Indeed nowadays, people choose to do a Camino as much for personal reasons, as for any religious reason: They decide to take time out of their busy modern life and perhaps look for something a bit different, in the hope perhaps, of finding inspiration or spiritual enlightenment as they journey along: They are able to reflect on their life whilst in the supportive environment of their Camino. No doubt they hope to improve their outlook on life and bring themselves closer into contact with nature – whilst expanding their cultural horizons through contact with other walkers.

Bracelet to protect against ill health — Secular or Christian travel with Camino shell

Sunset on El Camino de Santiago — Secular or Christian travel with Camino shell

Many of these so-called ‘pilgrims’ on the Way of Saint James carry the Scallop Shell symbol of El Camino de Santiago as a token, a charm, a keepsake . . or on a piece of jewellery. Others (perhaps a bit more “religious” ) wear a Cross of St James.

The shell has great significance in jewellery: It symbolises strength, commitment and determination. In this sense, it has special meaning to millions of people, and is commonly used by individuals to help them feel more confident about themselves.

The Cross of Saint James, according to many Spaniards, “es un símbolo que favorece el coraje y la esperanza ante las dificultades” [a symbol that favours courage and hope in the face of difficulties] . . promoting both faith and good fortune, as well as strength and hope.

Some 200,000 pilgrims travel El Camino de Santiago every year from all over the world to find inspiration and/or deeper spiritual understanding. Many of them carry one of these symbols and everyone experiences the journey in a different way.

Camino gift ideas

But whatever somebody’s journey – whether on El Camino itself, a business trip, a gap year, trekking, etc, (or perhaps merely the “journey” through life in general), many people like to carry a symbolic charm or piece of jewellery to encourage them and give them belief – as well as, in their minds, to protect them. Studies have shown that symbolic tokens and charms can boost people’s confidence, with many admitting there’s power in a thought made positive by meaningful charms such as these – being a constant reminder of purpose and desires: In addition to any value that these symbols have in themselves, or the religious faith that they might represent, symbolic and meaningful jewellery such as this can also act as a reminder to be careful when travelling: And this can be a powerful aid to staying safe whilst away from home too.

Buy Camino de Santiago souvenirs and gifts online

Much of our jewellery is hand-crafted in Galicia, close to El Camino de Santiago. It would make an ideal gift for any special event / occasion, but particularly for someone starting out on a new adventure in life – like walking a Camino, or even starting a new job, travelling afar or beginning retirement.

What to buy a Camino walker – Faith Jewellery?

There are many “caminos” or “walks” in the world but the Spanish “Way of St James” is probably the most famous, along with the Islamic Hajj to Mecca. We have a complete range of Camino jewellery in our SHOP online.

Here is a bit of information about some of the less well known “Caminos” in Spain that are currently in the news: Camino del Argar, Camino Mozárabe and Destino Rocío:

El Camino del Argar

El Camino del Argar is a rather obscure (arduous and long) route from southern Spain to Santiago de Compostela in the north. It starts at the Cathedral of Almería in Andalucía from whence it traverses the entire Iberian Peninsula, initially via Cabo de Gata and along the south coast before heading inland and north-west. It passes through places such as San José, Rosalquilar, Las Negras, Carboneras, Mojácar, Garrucha, Vera, Cuevas de Almanzora and on through to Huércal Overa and Lorca before heading north up through Murcia to Almendricos, Albacete and along the Camino de Levante.

From Mora (Toledo) it’s main route then circumvents Madrid and joins the Vía de la Plata in Zamora north-west of the Spanish capital before finally heading into Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. In total, the Camino del Argar is about 1,500 Km. It is named Camino del Argar after an early Bronze Age settlement/culture “El Argar” which was based around the small town of Antas in Almería in eastern Andalucía. The community was active from about 2200 to 1500 BC and was renowned for its pottery and metallurgical techniques.

El Camino Mozárabe

The Camino de Santiago Mozárabe (also known as the Camino de Santiago Sanabrés) arose in the Middle Ages linking the important ports of Al-Andalus with some of the larger cities on the western side of Spain such as Córdoba and Mérida. These days, the paths between Almería and Granada are signposted and have some infrastructure for pilgrims / walkers along the way. But other parts of the route are less well marked until one reaches the Via de la Plata.

Starting on the Mediterranean coast in Almería it follows the chain of valleys of the Andarax and Nacimiento rivers to Guadix and thence to Granada along the old Roman and Muslim roads that linked these two cities taking in the terraces of the Alpujarras and parts of the Sierra Nevada. It is a strenuous route over the mountains before dropping down to Córdoba but from there to Mérida it is more relaxed. Nonetheless, it is a very long Camino indeed, crossing the whole of the Spanish peninsular south to north.

El Camino al Rocío

El Rocío is a village located 15 km from Almonte in the province of Huelva, Andalucía (Spain). The Rocío Pilgrimage (known as Romería de El Rocío or more simply “El Rocío”) is an age-old tradition of travelling early summer to the church of La Virgen del Rocio in the village of El Rocío in honour of “La Virgen” (whose image was believed to have been witnessed at this location in the 15th Century, and is now represented in the “Ermita de Sancta María de las Rocinas – or Ermita de El Rocío). The Romería brings together roughly one million pilgrims every year.

This fervent event which is best described as somewhere between religion and folklore, takes place on the second day of Pentecost (May or June – depending on the year) but the build-up to it (and the journey) can take weeks with many people travelling in horse-drawn carts from far away with singing and dancing round the camp fires every night. The festival dates from 1653, when the Virgin of Las Rocinas was appointed patron Saint of Almonte.

Ayamonte, Huelva, Sevilla, Jeréz, Gibraltar, Malaga

Expanding on this tradition of travelling to the church of La Virgen del Rocio, the newly-envisaged Camino al Rocío or Destino Rocío has been called El Camino de Santiago ‘Andalucian style’. However, it has little to do with Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain – but is nonetheless a ‘religious’ Camino.

There are eight different routes connecting the eight provinces of Andalucía with this devotional focus located in Huelva.
The Almería route (officially called ‘Ruta Nazarí’) has two starting points: One from Cabo de Gata (close to the capital Almería city itself) and another from Los Vélez towards Baza. They both meet up in Guadix and, from there, the path goes through Granada, Antequera, Ronda, Arcos, Jerez de la Frontera, and Sanlúcar to cross the Guadalquivir river, and through the great park of Doñana to reach the village of El Rocío. [Other Andalusian routes are: The Olive Grove Route (which begins in the Sierra de Cazorla); the Sierra Morena Route (which starts in Las Navas, Jaén); the Valle de los Pedroches Route (from Pozoblanco); the Aguardiente Route (from Belalcázar); the Silver Route, the Ham and Fandango Route (from the Sierra de Aracena) and the Gibraltar Route (from Algeciras)].

It is hoped that this new Camino al Rocío or “Destino Rocío”, will have a wide network of signposted paths – in the simple ‘yellow arrow’ style that guides pilgrims to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela along the more traditional “Way of St James” to the north.

What to buy a Camino walker – Faith jewellery?

See Faith Jewellery and Camino gift ideas in our shop that could be ideal:

Click the JEWELLERY CATEGORY you want:

Necklaces: Gold + Silver + pendants

Inspirational bracelets of faith

Earrings + Cufflinks

Necklaces: Glass / Lourdes

Necklaces: Costume / Pewter / Steel

Necklaces: Gemstone

Jewellery for Confidence

2020-04-172020-04-23

When will CAMINO de SANTIAGO OPEN again?

The Camino de Santiago closed in March 2020 because of CoronaVirus, but the hopes and aspirations of the pilgrims and other travellers remain alive. So when will El Camino re-open?

For those walkers, pilgrims and other travellers hoping to travel this famous route some time soon, the general message coming out of Spain at the moment is: “Pilgrim – now is not the time . . The Camino can wait.”

When will LOCKDOWN end along El Camino in Spain?

Here at The Good Luck Gift Shop we are keeping a careful eye on what is happening in the news coming out of Santiago de Compostela. For example, at the time of writing this article, both the Cathedral and the Pilgrim Office remain closed.

The Spanish Federation of Associations of Friends of the Way of Santiago is asking that everyone interested in walking the Camino should take “Individual Responsibility” and continue to follow the recommendations of the health authorities and “Stay at Home” with respect to COVID-19 CoronaVirus. They have produced a little video of many people connected with the Camino repeating the mantra: “Me quedo en casa – I am staying at home”. Indeed, the message throughout Spain is “Quédate a casa” (stay at home!) Now is not the time to walk El Camino de Santiago (anyway it is “closed” and you would receive a fine if you attempted it (that is, assuming you could even get into the area which is, like the rest of the Spanish peninsular, in “lockdown”. All the hostels, hotels, albergues and other “shelters” have been closed on all roads to Santiago.

COVID-19 Coronavirus is closing churches too

So, “dear Pilgrim,” as the Authorities in Galicia say, “please calm your longing for the Camino until everything returns to normal” It is better to travel safe than sorry.

BUT, people ask: When will that be?

When will El Camino re-open? When will flights resume to Spain?

If you want a realistic answer to this question, it looks like September at the earliest. “El Camino puede esperar” they say – but can you?

Well, for one thing, there is a lot to be said for walking El Camino in the Autumn or September:

– It is less crowded

– There are milder temperatures than in the popular months of July and August – although good weather is no longer assured

– There is more accommodation available

So, as they say in Spain: “Ultreya!” (the response is Suseia!) (Onward! > Go further!)

In the meantime, “en solidaridad con los caminantes” we have produced a good luck necklace with the Yellow Arrow marker symbol of Camino de Santiago . . which could be given as a little gift of support for a disappointed friend who had to cancel their trip on El Camino this year (or postpone). We sell it at cost price (only the postage needs be paid):

Good luck necklace Camino yellow arrow symbol — To help keep the dream alive 🙂

More information about the feasibility of the Camino de Santiago route will be posted here as it becomes available.

Ultreya! Et Suseia! Buen Camino! El Camino WILL open again

2019-10-092022-05-17

CHRISTMAS on the CAMINO

Walking El Camino de Santiago in winter – and giving Camino gifts at Christmas

The gift of Christmas on the Camino? To many, Christmas and Camino are two separate entities: No one in their right mind would consider walking El Camino at Christmas, right? “Bueno” . . as they say in Spain, “nada es imposible”. No doubt, the most popular time of year to walk the Camino de Santiago is between Spring to Autumn. But winter walkers are on the up and increasingly we see people asking about walking El Camino at Christmas . . and even planning to arrive in Santiago de Compostela on Christmas Day (or Christmas Eve).

But Christmas also means gifts – for friends, family / loved-ones. And what better gift to give a fan of the Camino than a little present from Galicia, Santiago, Asturias . . or somewhere else along this famous route: Perhaps a little memento or souvenir relating to this epic journey / pilgrimage – or simply a “good luck and best wishes” type of present.

See our CAMINO de SANTIAGO gift shop online

A winter trip on Spain’s Camino over the Christmas period can be an exhilarating experience . . especially if you plan to arrive in Santiago de Compostela on Christmas Eve (or Christmas Day). But there are things to consider that are different from planning a normal Camino trip:

The weather in winter on El Camino:

This is the most important factor: Weather in Northern Spain, particularly in Galicia, is uncertain even in summer! The dreaded rain which can dampen the spirits of even the most ardent Camino traveller is quite common in Galicia and Asturias.

Having said that, travelling in winter can have its advantages in this respect too: Some of the landscapes can be spectacular in their winter shroud: The Meseta in particular can make for a stunning and enthralling backdrop at any time of year, but in winter it can be dramatic and breathtaking.

Winter weather on Camino — Cortesia Rodelar – La Meseta en invierno: Not for the faint-hearted walker!

The Meseta or Inner Plateau of Spain is the high plain of central Spain – it is large and expansive, flat and vast: It’s in the heart of the Iberian peninsular, and ranges from 610 to 760m in height and is surrounded by mountains. From the Camino point of view, the Meseta is always an “experience”. The Camino Frances traverses the northern part of the Meseta for over 200km, and in winter it can be windswept and cold, wet and miserable for walkers.

So this leads on to the next consideration:

The route – which Camino to choose (after all, there are several):

People considering travelling the famous Way of Saint James are aware of the different routes that make up the so-called “Camino”: They have to choose one to suit themselves, and through which parts of Spain, France and/or Portugal they want to walk, hike or bike into Santiago de Compostela. We have 7 or 8 main options: Camino Frances, Camino Portuguese, Camino del Norte, Camino Primitivo (the original or Primitive Way), Via de Plata (the Silver Way), Camino Finisterre-Muxía, Camino Inglés (the English Way), and Camino Invierno (the Winter Camino).

Camino Sanabres

Camino Primitivo

Camino Portugues

Camino Norte

Camino Mozarabe

Camino Invierno

Camino Ingles

Camino Frances

Camino Finisterra

Courtesy CORREOS (see below)

But which is going to be most suitable Camino to do in winter?

The Via de la Plata route travels through the western part of the Meseta for around 180km. In winter, it can be snowy. Yes . . snow! In winter you will encounter snow on many of the Camino routes and/or stages of those routes. Perhaps a small amount of snow is acceptable, but there can be danger too after heavy snow falls or when it drifts in the wind. At the very least, you will need to avoid any mountainous areas like the Pyrenees or O Cebreiro. In fact, for this reason alone, many of the ‘etápas’ (sections or stages) of the various Caminos are actually CLOSED in the winter. In fact, a great many things along the Camino route are closed in winter.

So this leads to another factor to consider:

Accommodation along the Camino de Santiago in winter

Spain’s Post Office ( CORREOS ) has a great website to help travellers along El Camino – offering advice on accommodation, safety and their own services to help transport extra luggage and backpacks which can be especially helpful in the somewhat rougher winter months.

They say that when the number of pilgrims fall in the winter months (and especially around Christmas), many hostels on the Camino decide to close their doors. And, as ‘Navidad’ in Spain is celebrated through until Los Reyes Magos (The Kings) on 6th January, the Christmas inactivity can be extensive. This might be a problem for those winter pilgrims who, not planning ahead or without prior knowledge, are not prepared, especially considering that they will be facing the cold, rain and, at many times, snow. Luckily, Correos keeps an updated list of hostels that remain open during this period. Of course, however prepared you are, it is always recommended to contact the hostels first, to avoid any problems. You can find the telephone numbers of each hostel at each stage of every Camino on the CORREOS WEBSITE . There is little problem finding accommodation in the bigger towns like Santiago de Compostela, Ferrol or Vigo, but in the small rural and isolated areas, where accommodation is limited, yes, it can be tricky.

So this brings us to:

The sheer feasibility of doing the Camino in winter as regards personal fitness, carrying your stuff and avoiding the mud!

It can be lonely and at times bleak in northern Spain in winter: In Bierzo, for example, it can be very harsh. But in general, winter walkers are not out to punish themselves . . and so during this time of year it is acceptable to get help along the way. For example, CORREOS offer a service to transfer your luggage / rucksack day by day at all times of year. This costs around 4 Euros per stage.

This has not always been the case: In years gone by, devout pilgrims would set out to travel the Camino as a form of penance or atonement. Some were even sent to do just that, as punishment for their sins. But these days, there are other ways to lessen the burden of a winter Camino – like occasionally catching a bus!!! (past the really bad bits), or getting Correos to transport some of your luggage from place to place at the start of each day. In general, their services continue as usual, except that in some cases they are limited in terms of geographical coverage or hours open to the public. Once again, the website has details.

They also offer a locker service in Santiago de Compostela (the ideal location to leave your backpack before visiting because of its proximity to the Cathedral). This remains open from Monday to Friday with the same hours as the rest of the year. The only change to this service is that Saturdays it will be open from 9:30 to 13:00, while closing on Sundays and holidays.

So, in conclusion . .

Which Camino de Santiago route is best in Winter?

The general consensus is that travelling from Sarria into Santiago de Compostela would be a good option. It is about 100km into the capital. You could walk a few of the sections before Sarria but you would have to avoid the most mountainous area around O Cebreiro. This is part of the Winter Way (or Camino de Invierno) from Ponferrada which used to be used in centuries past by those seeking to escape the ‘real’ world. It is also part of the French Way. You will probably experience a very quiet trip at this time of year – but with amazing landscapes, especially as you enter Galicia through the winter vineyards of the Ribeira Sacra. Alternatively, you could start a bit further south at Monforte de Lemos.

Christmas in Santiago Cathedral with the great botafumeiro, marked with the cross of St James

Either way, at Christmas time, this will be a special experience and you will be able to spot many wonderful Nativity scenes or Beléns in the villages, hostels and bars that you encounter.

Finally, we come to OUR part in this whole story:

Camino Christmas gifts

At this time of year we start to see enquiries and orders for Christmas Camino gifts. Although we cannot offer gifts of a trip on the Camino (or even gift tokens), we can certainly offer great suggestions for Camino Christmas presents.

See some Joyas del CAMINO de SANTIAGO JEWELLERY in our gift shop online

Every year we see what is popular, and we see some of the special messages people send to each other relating to their Caminos – or wishing them well on a future trip. Many people like to give Camino-related Christmas gifts to friends and loved-ones for a journey that they are planning in the forthcoming year: And the journey is not always related to El Camino de Santiago itself. We find people giving Camino gifts (particularly Camino Jewellery – Joyas del Camino) for loved-ones going on a Gap Year for example, a holiday trekking in the Far East, or even to someone going on a business trip. The fame of Spain’s Camino is worldwide and the related souvenirs have significance to travellers the world over . . especially to wish safe travels. In particular, jewellery that features the Cross of St James, la vieira concha Scallop Shell symbol, the Waymarker sign and the Tau Cross (all available in our shop online), are the most popular.

Clearly, no self-respecting Camino travellers (especially walkers and bikers) want to be burdened on their actual Camino de Santiago with anything large or heavy or difficult to carry, but we can offer small items (especially Camino jewellery like earrings, necklaces and bracelets) that are suitable. Failing that, we can also supply items that are meant as souvenirs or mementos of someone’s actual Camino trip / journey – a reminder perhaps of the journey they undertook. We also stock a range of other items that are suitable as Christmas presents for someone who is PLANNING to walk the Camino de Santiago in the future – in particular, gifts that have a “Safe Travels” theme, religious and Christian items that say “Have a good trip”, Good luck on your journey”, “Buen Camino” and so on, even if only in a symbolic way.

Travellers safety whistle gold — One of our travellers safety whistles – a loud whistle engraved with the Travellers Cross

These are Camino Christmas gifts with real meaning and many are actually hand-crafted by goldsmiths and silver-working artisans in Galicia and Asturias.

Our gift shop was established in Spain over 10 years ago (and we now have an online store based in the UK too) . . .

See our gift shop for Camino CHRISTMAS PRESENTS .

Looking for a Christmas gift for a fan of el Camino de Santiago? Please look in our Christmas Camino shop online.

2019-07-242019-07-24

Santiago de Compostela and Feast of St James

Tonight’s the night . . in Santiago de Compostela! Ten interesting facts you didn’t know about Camino de Santiago and St James

On the evening of 24th July, in the Plaza del Obradoiro (the main square of Santiago de Compostela old town, to the west of the Cathedral), there is a mass display of fireworks (Fuegos del Apóstol) to mark the start of the main part of the fiesta dedicated to Saint James in, Galicia, Spain.

Santiago or Saint James, is the Patron Saint of all Spain. The annual Feast of Saint James (Día de Santiago) takes places in Santiago de Compostela on 25th July and is a public holiday in Galicia. The city is one of the most symbolic in Spain and, whenever you visit, you can be sure to see many pilgrims – religious ones as well as those who simply enjoy the scenic journey along the Camino de Santiago (mostly across northern Spain).

Experience the Camino de Santiago journey

Many of the walkers or journeymen (or women) will carry the traditional walking staff and/or one of the three main symbols of “El Camino” – the St James Cross (Cruz de Santiago), the Scallop Shell (la Concha de Vieira) or the yellow Waymarker symbol).

See some of the symbols on CAMINO de SANTIAGO JEWELLERY – JOYAS del CAMINO in our store online

Each year, some 200,000 people travel the Camino from all over the world: Some walk, others travel by bike. Many travellers choose to do the Camino for personal, rather than any spiritual or religious reasons – taking time out from their busy modern lives and perhaps finding inspiration along the way, whilst reflecting on their life in a supportive environment. Everyone experiences the journey in a different way.

Souvenir of Camino Santiago and Jewellery with meaning

At the journey’s end, when they arrive in the capital city of Santiago de Compostela (and more especially, at the Cathedral) most will hope receive their “Compostela” – the official recognition from the Pilgrim’s Office in Santiago that they have successfully completed the Camino.

See some JEWELLRY with MEANING and SOUVENIRS of El CAMINO de SANTIAGO in our online shop

Many visitors will try to arrive in Santiago in the days leading up to 25th July, which is both the Día de Santiago and the Día de Galica, Galicia’s regional day.

Saint James is believed to have visited Spain to preach Christianity and, when he was martyred in the Middle East, his body was thought to have been transported by boat to the Galician coast. His remains were discovered around 800AD, by a hermit following the path of star into a field – thereby giving us the name ‘Compostela’ (literally, the field of the star).

So, if you are lucky enough to be in Santiago today or some time soon, don’t forget to look out for the “Botafumeiro” – a huge incense burner that is swung back and forth down the Cathedral aisle during official masses like the one today which is usually attended by members of the Spanish Royal family and the Galician government. It weighs around 80kg and it takes eight people to swing it!

Souvenir of Spain

If you are unable to bring back a souvenir of this great experience (both a souvenir of Spain as well as a souvenir of Camino de Santiago), or perhaps you would like to give a little memento of Camino de Santiago to a friend or loved-one, we have many such gifts in our shop online: See some CAMINO de SANTIAGO GIFTS in our store.

¡Buen Camino! Ultreia, suseia, Santiago

2018-11-092021-02-14

GIFTS for someone WALKING the CAMINO

What is it about gifting? Why do we gift? Why is gifting important? And why is Camino de Santiago jewellery often given as a present for someone walking El Camino?

See some Camino gifts of JOYAS DE CAMINO de SANTIAGO JEWELLERY in our shop online

You could say that we give gifts to each other because we’re supposed to, and this is often true – particularly on special well-known occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, and so on. And we also give people presents when someone has achieved something – as a form of recognition (eg, acknowledgement of an achievement, or goal attainment). So, for example, we could give a friend or loved-one a gift for having walked the Camino de Santiago because we are recognising something they have done or achieved – an accomplishment; or, because they are a fan of El Camino.

And we have a lot of gifts like that in our Good Luck Gift Shop store.

But, giving someone a gift because they are ABOUT to do something? Is this normal? (For example, giving a present to someone who WILL be walking the Camino in the future?) What does such a gift represent?

Camino de Santiago jewelry — Camino de Santiago jewellery

It is quite normal to wish someone well with their challenges and adventures – verbally, or perhaps with a quick WhatsAp message. But how often does this translate into a gift?

In our Good Luck Gift Shop we actually see this quite a lot, particularly with Camino gifts. We can tell, because people often include a short message with a gift when they buy it, and we ship the present direct to the recipient with the message as requested. These messages often refer to the meaning of the gift – whether as a piece of Camino de Santiago memorabilia or souvenir, or because the recipient is a fan of the Camino, or more often than not, as an inspirational piece of Santiago de Compostela jewelry because they are about to walk the Camino.

And we have a lot of Camino de Santiago jewellery too, in our online shop!

gift card for fan of camino — Gift card for fan of El Camino

So, Camino de Santiago jewelry is being gifted to someone walking the Camino in Spain, France or Portugal, as a way of offering encouragement, and willing them to succeed and have a successful journey, and a safe trip.

But, returning to the original question: Did you know that one of the main reasons for giving and receiving presents at Christmas time, is to remind us of the presents baby Jesus received from the three Wise Men: Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh? Yes, we all know that gifts are important at Christmas – but probably not for that reason nowadays!

There are of course many reasons for giving a gift. For example, we sometimes give people gifts to show them that we are grateful, and that we value the role they play in our lives. In this case, we give a present willingly without wanting anything in return: So, making someone feel special is as important a reason as any to bestow a gift.

And then there are Birthdays: As regards Birthdays (another of the traditional gifting occasions), history tells us that originally it had something to do with offering protection to the recipient.

People have always believed in good and evil spirits, and folklore has it that spirits gather around a person who is celebrating his or her birthday – dating back to the time when they were born. Years ago (and even nowadays in some parts of the world) everyone was afraid of these spirits, thinking that they would cause harm to the birthday boy or girl. And so, friends and relatives would gather around and wish them “Happy Birthday” so that their good wishes would protect them. In fact, in the UK, many years ago, when Britain was ruled by Rome, there was a God known as Apis (originally from Egypt and also pronounced as Hap-Hapi-Hapy), and it is believed that the word ‘happy’ in the birthday greeting Happy Birthday, dates back to this word ‘Hapi’ in Old English. For this reason, when you wish someone ‘happy’ birthday, you are actually wishing the God Apis to bring them protection and good fortune.

It appears therefore that, as in many things, it is tradition and folklore that lie behind a lot of today’s celebrations and commemorations and, in the case of Birthdays, it is probably because of yesteryear in ancient Britain when giving a birthday present was believed to bring protection, that the concept of the birthday party (and of giving birthday presents in general) has developed.

In very early days, only kings or prominent men were thought important enough to celebrate their birthdays in this way. But as time has gone on, us ordinary folks now celebrate birthdays too.

But perhaps we just want to give somone a present to say something special . .

. . like “I love you”!

Overall, hardly a day goes by without us wanting to pass on our best wishes for one event or another to a friend or loved one, and a symbolic gift is a good way of doing this. And seeing that walking El Camino is viewed as such a big event, people often give a little present such as a Camino de Santiago bracelet, necklace or earrings to send their friends or relatives on their way.

We have all grown up with various traditions, superstitions and beliefs. Whether you choose to believe them or not, it is undeniable that faith influences a lot of people, and much of our modern day gifting has roots in faith and belief.