It looks like a mass funeral, but the people in these coffins in northwestern Spain are very much alive. Residents of the small village of Las Nieves are acting out their own deaths after surviving a serious accident or illness and giving thanks to the village’s patron saint, Marta, for sparing them. The once-a-year ritual for people who recently snatched life back from the jaws of death dates to medieval times. According to the Bible, Martha’s brother Lazarus was raised from the dead when Jesus visited their home. The procession has drawn larger crowds in recent years; this year, for the first time, the Church of Santa Marta de Ribarteme even charged 100 euros ($115) to rent a coffin. But some find the spectacle a bit unnerving. “I love everything about this pilgrimage, but not these coffins,” says Josefa Díaz Domínguez, a retiree. “I’m sure God doesn’t ask anybody to go this far.”