Today the 6th weekend of Easter is Rogation Saturday, an ancient church festival, at which God was asked to bless a community and its crops. The word ‘rogation’ derives from the Latin verb 'rogare', meaning “to ask”. Rogationtide covers the days leading up to the feast of the Ascension.

Rogation is a christianisation of the pagan Roman festival known as Robigalia, at which a dog was sacrificed to propitiate Robigus, the god of agricultural disease, thereby preventing rotting of the crops in the fields.

In the UK it is typically observed with fasting and abstinence, the blessing of crops and ‘beating of the bounds’, in which a procession of parishioners, led by the priest, churchwardens and choir proceed around the boundary of their parish – passing through fields and shops - and pray for its protection in the forthcoming year.

Here in the Malaga Chaplaincy, where our parish boundary follows the provincial borders, it is unlikely that we would complete a beating of the bounds within the days allocated to Rogation!

The picture shows one of the main crops of this province - the olive tree!