Valencia Trader

Festival Virgen del Carmen 2007

There are a lot of municipalities of the Region of Valencia that celebrate festivals in honor to the Virgin of Carmen, patron saint of the sailors: Alicante, Benidorm, Altea, Calpe, El Campello, Santa Pola, Moraira (Teulada), Torrevieja, La Vila Joiosa  or Xàbia in the province of Alicante,  Alcossebre (Alcalà de Xivert) , Burriana, San Rafael del Rio, El Grao de Castellón de la Plana, Torreblanca or Vinaròs in the province Castellón and Cullera, Daimús, Gandia, Oliva, La Pobla de Farnals, Puerto de Sagunto,  Sueca o Xeraco in the province of  Valencia.

For several days leading up to July 16th, day of Our Lady of Carmen, religious celebrations will take place, like  the mass or the procession, an act in which the image of the Virgin is passed through the maritime neighborhoods or is later embarked at ports where people sail with her followed by many boats. This is a procession filled with emotion whereby people offer flowers, throw laurel in the water to remember the ones killed in the sea and sing the salve marinera.

The religious acts complement each other with other festive activities: competitions, regattas, festivals, musical performances and spectacular fireworks that will be set off from the beach or even from embarkments in the sea.

The fishermen's confraternities are nowadays the managers of organizing the festival in the coastal populations. Nevertheless, Our Lady of Carmen is not the only patron saint in coastal populations but also in many interior municipalities of the Region of Valencia which the case, amongst others, of Cañada, Algorfa or Cox in the province of Alicante and whose celebrations reach a more important and emotional moment with processions and pilgrimages.