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Día de la Virgen del Carmen Overview |
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| The Spanish festival Día de la Virgen del
Carmen is a major celebration recognised throughout the coastal regions
of the Iberian Peninsula. Virgen del Carmen, or the Blessed Virgin Mary of
Mount Carmel is the patroness and protector of all seamen and a popular
patron saint for a number of the villages along the coastal provinces including
Andalucia, Murcia, Valencia and Catalonia. |
| The significance of Virgen del Carmen in Spanish cultural
life is reflected in the local parish churches, the majority of which contain a highly
regarded effigy of the virgin. |
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On July 16th each year the people of the towns and fishing
villages up and down the coastline gather together to formally honour Virgin
del Carmen, reaping the rewards of weeks of intense planning and organisation.
The main event of the day is a massive parade that features the statue of Virgen
del Carmen, all the townsfolk, many dancers and bands.
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| The huge procession passes from the church through the
town and down to the sea along streets lined with people and decorated
with gorgeous, colourful garlands. Upon reaching the sea the noisy
pageant sets sail in extravagantly adorned boats, accompanied by the blowing
of horns from a flotilla of jábegas, or fishing boats, whilst a splendid
fireworks display punctuates the evening sky. |
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After the effigy has been customarily honoured, all in attendance enjoy a traditional
feast consisting of delicious local delicacies, fine wines, live music and dancing until well into the early
hours of the next day. Visitors are enthusiastically invited to take part in all aspects of the festivities and soak
up the amazing atmosphere of Día de la Virgen del Carmen. |
The regional celebrations vary slightly from town to town, for example in Malaga the
procession takes place on the Sunday following July 16th. In 1981 the city's scuba diving club placed
an image of the virgin on the sea bed and since then it has become traditional for Malagueñan divers to
pay their annual homage underwater, in a symbolic gesture demonstrating the extent of Virgen del Carmen's
embrace of all lovers of the sea.
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Día de la Virgen del Carmen
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travel to the Día de la Virgen del Carmen from www.rentspain.com |
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