It has always been advisable to maintain good relations with the saints, especially if they are to be diligent in their good work as mediators with those above. When they forgot to turn on the tap for too long, the men and women went to Santa Magdalena with prayers asking for help. In order for Santa to remember the benefits and good adventures of water, it was traditional to lower her shoulders to take a bath in the Ebro.
After being immersed in the river, very cool and pleased, the villagers returned Santa Maria Magdalena to her throne on top of the mountain range so that, once again at the Lord’s request, she would intercede to end the drought. The proposed excursion recalls the journeys of Santa Magdalena to take the waters, and especially the pilgrimages of the people of Garcia to his beloved hermitage located in a very special place in the southern foothills of the Sierra del Tormo.
On the day of the Hermitage, as the annual pilgrimage to Santa Magdalena is called, the clotxa, the mass, the goigs, the bowling alleys, the paella, the jota and the monkey auction cannot be missed. Many of Garcia’s neighbors are in the hermitage that day. Each family usually occupies the same place each year (for many it is something almost as sacred as the saint). Once installed, they will share the day going from table to table and participating in games and dances.
