On Friday, 12 October 1917 many had walked barefooted to the Cova da Iria in Fatima, in central Portugal, to secure a good position for the following day. They slept on the ground that night even though it had rained, turning the dirt to mud.  In the morning, people continued to arrive, flocking in from all sides, arriving by luxurious motor cars, by oxcarts, by closed carriages and by carts filled to overflowing with passengers.