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Camino 10 Years Ago
Camino 10 Years Ago
Today I visited the exhibition about the Camino de Santiago at the Krona Museum in Uden. Exactly 10 years ago, I was on the Camino, on my way to complete the Camino Portugues. I started on May 18, 2016, and walked from Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela in 42 days, nearly 700 km. I have written many blogs about my experiences on the Camino. This time, I will talk about my Catholic background.
The Seven Sacraments
The Seven Sacraments
The Catholic Church recognizes seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, Confession, Anointing of the Sick, Marriage, and Holy Orders. As of 2026, women still cannot receive Holy Orders, so only six of these sacraments are open to them. I have personally received four sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Communion, and Confession. Holy Orders is reserved for men who become Catholic priests or hold related ordained roles. I am married to Databeet, but because our marriage is not recognized by the Catholic Church, it is not considered a sacramental marriage. Anointing of the Sick is given near the end of life.
My Baptism
My Baptism
I only have stories and photos as proof that I was baptized in a Catholic church on Curaçao, because in the Catholic tradition babies are typically baptized rather than adults, as is more common in Protestant churches. I know there was a celebration with pie after the ceremony. Growing up, I knew that a friend of my mother was my godmother and that my mother’s eldest brother was my godfather. Later, when a friend of mine married her Catholic high school sweetheart, I became both her godmother and the godmother of her daughter. Her daughter is an adult now, I think. I am also the godmother of my cousin, the youngest son of my youngest sister.
Holy Communion
Holy Communion
Holy Communion is a ritual that takes place when a child is about 8 years old. I was living in The Netherlands when I turned eight. My parents wanted me to receive Holy Communion, so they arranged for a group of children from my Catholic school to receive Holy Communion at the ecumenical community church in Almere-Haven. I was allowed to put on a beautiful white dress, receive some lessons about the Catholic faith and from then on I was allowed to take part in the sacramental bread ceremony, the host.
Confirmation
Confirmation
My parents wanted me to be confirmed as a confirmation of my baptism (Vormsel). I was a teenager on Curaçao and actually didn't want to participate, but I took part in the ceremony anyway, together with my middle sister. There is still a family photo, taken in the church garden, in which I look angry after the ceremony. Confirmation consists of lessons in the Catholic faith from a nun, confession to a priest in a traditional confessional (biechtstoel), and a church service.
Carnival
Carnival
In addition to these traditional rituals, there are Carnival, Lent (vasten), and pilgrimage as rituals that can be performed in the Catholic tradition. Let’s start with the ritual I do not like: Carnival. I think I went to Carnival with my parents every year until I was seven years old. This changed when my father was attacked with a machete during the parade and we moved to The Netherlands shortly afterwards. He wasn't injured and not the target. Back on the island in 1988, I went to Carnival with my parents one last time and I never went again after that. Not to the Dutch version either, when I lived in Eindhoven or as a student. Nor to the Summer Carnival in Rotterdam, although I interviewed people for Forum Institute about the parade before the start of the Summer Carnival. When the parade was about to begin, I took the train back home. The rest of the people interviewing stayed to celebrate the Summer Carnival. My last memory of Carnival dates to 2011, when my father passed away during the Carnival celebrations on Curaçao before Carnival began. He was on the phone with my mother, and a doctor friend was nearby, but it didn't help. He died of a heart attack (hartaanval) or stroke (herseninfarct) as we (his three kids living in The Netherlands) were told on the phone shortly after he died.
Fasting
Fasting
For almost my entire childhood, during the fasting period (Lent), we ate fish on Fridays or for the entire 40 days leading up to Easter. That is the mild Catholic way of fasting. As a student on a small budget, I wanted to experience the full fasting period at least once living on my own. I managed to do this on a limited budget by eating only fish and chicken for the entire period, and no red meat, chips, or candy. The latter, candy, was not a problem for me. The hardest part was not giving in to the temptation to eat whatever was available but remembering that I was fasting and choosing chicken or fish, saving the candy and chips for after Easter.
Camino Portugues 2016
Camino Portugues 2016
I have always been fascinated by the Camino, and in 2016 I finally had the chance to walk it. I prepared for about two years and I chose the Camino Portugues because it was the greenest route and there was a coastal path. In the end, I walked part of the coastal route and part of the inland route, because some sections were still unsafe for a woman travelling alone and one part of the coastal route was not yet completed. I loved the experience and still dream of finding time to walk at least one more Camino. I did not walk it for religious reasons, but for reflection, rest, and to explore the spiritual meaning of the Camino and of life. It was a life-changing experience, though not in an instant. The changes I reflected on during the Camino unfolded gradually, step by step. As a retired police officer who walked the Camino every year told me: ‘You can walk more Caminos. This one will not solve everything; for that, you need more Caminos.’
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