After the confinement of Jaca, and the opening of a much more favorable framework within the pandemic, the Association of Friends of the Camino de Santiago de Jaca resumes the activity and starts with this action with which it intends to publicize the French Camino de Santiago, from a new point of view, and which was suspended due to confinement on May 2.
The Friends of the Camino de Santiago de Jaca Association, in conjunction with the Villanúa Library, is immersed in the organization of a day of “Bookcrossing” or “Release of books” next Sunday, June 6. The activity will take place along the 96 km of the French Camino de Santiago, which runs through our territory from Somport to Undués de Lerda.
“Bookcrossing” is an original US practice consisting of leaving books in public places to be picked up by other readers, who, in turn, once read, can be maintaining the chain by depositing them elsewhere.
From the association “we have wanted to combine the personal adventure involved in walking the Camino with the literary adventure that begins every time a book is opened and we let ourselves be trapped by its words. During the past year, such a difficult year, with our relationships reduced to virtual encounters, reading was a window where we could immerse ourselves either as a distraction or as a learning, a mental tool necessary to withstand confinement “, he explains in a press release.
In turn, walking the Camino is an exercise, of course physical, but also mental, because after several hours of walking, the reflections on our weaknesses, the encounter with it allows us to abstract ourselves and offer great relief from our own personal confinement.
For this activity, the association has the collaboration of the Jaca and Canfranc Libraries in addition to the A’Noguera de Castiello de Jaca shelters, Artieda Shelter, Ruesta Shelter, Undués de Lerda Shelter and the invaluable selfless collaboration , from several volunteers who, in addition to participating in the organization, will deposit the books on the Camino. These will be of different themes, children, youth, novel, etc.,
“We invite everyone, pilgrim or not, to travel the French Way through Aragon next Sunday, June 6, collecting the books that may interest them the most, giving them a new life, reading them and setting them free on the Camino again, in order to be able to travel this communication route through which pilgrims used to circulate, transporting new ideas throughout all of Europe, “says the association.
The activity is free, open to anyone who wants to participate, does not need registration, can be done at any time that is preferred throughout the day, there is no schedule. For more information on “Bookcrossing”, the Villanúa Library has prepared a very interesting explanatory video. Most of the deposited books have been coded according to the guidelines set by this practice, in order to be able to keep track of them.
As protection against possible inclement weather, the books will be sheathed in biodegradable bags, once we have the book out of it, it is convenient, deposit the bags in containers, care and respect for the Environment is everyone’s business.
In terms of prevention of Covid-19, the work of handling, recording and packaging will be carried out in a hygienic way and always with disinfected hands, after this process, the books will pass a quarantine period of 48 hours before being left on the way, long enough to remove any traces of Covid 19 on the books, in case of a supposed accidental infection.
This is an exciting project in which we hope that some of the books can reach Santiago de Compostela, and thus complete the Camino de Santiago, and continue wherever the destination wants to take them. In turn, we offer, in this activity, another way of traveling the French Way, knowing it, experiencing it and feeling it ours. All the information on the activity, on the association’s website
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