PILGRIMS CARRY THE VIRGIN OF EL ROCIO, 2003-06-09 (photo)

Pilgrims carry the Virgin of El Rocio during a procession inside the shrine of El Rocio, in the Donana national park, during the annual pilgrimage in which devotees converge on the village of Almonte to pay homage on June 9, 2003. Every spring, in the biggest romeria - or pilgrimage - in Spain, hundreds of thousands of devotees of the Virgin del Rocio take part in the celebration which combines religious fervor and festive colour. Pilgrims make their way to the shrine on horseback or in brightly decorated carriages, in multi-coloured caravans that wind across the Andalusian countryside. REUTERS/Anton Meres MDP/CRB