Marbella's Virgen del Carmen goes on a Sea Voyage
The Costa del Sol's annual Virgen del Carmen processions are a traditional spectacular not to be missed. For nearly one week every July towns and villages pay homage to their patron saint and those who were lost at sea. The actual saint's day is on 16th July, however, many celebrations take place on Sunday, 19th July, along the Costa del Sol.
Processions take place on land and on sea. In Benalmadena, Estepona, El Palo, Fuengirola, Marbella, Nerja, Pedregalejo, Torremolinos and Rincón de la Victoria the gentle Virgen is not just carried through the towns and to down to the beach: the virgin is also launched by boat into the sea.
Some areas have extended the typical one day celebration into longer events. In Huelin, Malaga, the Virgin was carried from her chapel in Calle Las Navas to the Church San Patricio on Sunday, 12th July but the celebrations didn't end until 19th July, when a final procession took the Virgin to the sea. In El Palo, Malaga, Virgen del Carmen celebrations continue through an entire weekend, feasting a fair, live music and entertainments and culminating in a "Paella Popular" feast on Sunday, 19th July, when procession participants can have a taster of this traditional rice dish.
Marbella's own processions always draw large numbers of tourists and while not everyone displays the type of behaviour one could hope to expect from a religious crowd, most people appreciate the solemnity and spirituality that is a hallmark of patron saint festivals in Spain. Drunken louts aren't tolerated and most tourists realise that it is not appropriate to turn up wearing only bathing suits and a towel or merely shorts but no t-shirt.
Patron saints' days are something every would-be expat resident will simply have to get used to. They may hold up the traffic for hours at a time, they may be noisy and, occasionally, even smelly, but they do serve to bring a community together.
Costa Tropical Events to look forward to
The City of Granada is looking forward to its own spectacular patron saint's processions for the last Sunday of September, when the Nuestra Señora de las Angustias or religious event in honour of our Lady of Sorrow takes place with all due pomp and circumstance. Granada Province is just an hour and a half drive from Marbella.
The more formal part of the celebrations takes place at the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Las Angustias in Carrera del Genil in Granada, when the facade of the church is covered in flowers donated by people taking part in the processions and other devotees. The patron saint day's celebrations include musical and theatre performances, a parade by local residence in full costume and various feasts, parties, activities, entertainments and processions.
Granada's famous Jazz festival, which starts on 1st August, is a far cry from these religious festivals, although there are one or two soulful tunes scheduled within the program. Getting better with each decade, Europe's oldest surviving Jazz festival attracts some of the biggest names in Jazz music to perform near the city's Moorish castle grounds.
For anyone with a holiday home in Marbella or elsewhere at the Costa del Sol, patron saints' day celebrations may even be a nuisance, but for those who relocate to this part of Spain and purchase a Marbella property, such events are a great informal opportunity to get to know their Spanish neighbours over a glass of wine and a plate of paella.