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Tony Bryant / Jennie Rhodes
Malaga
Friday, 12 July 2024, 11:10
Resorts along the Costa del Sol, as well as in other coastal locations throughout Spain, will honour the Virgen del Carmen with pilgrimages and processions to mark the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on 16 July. Some of the smaller towns and villages mark the feast with a solemn parade through the streets, while others hold lavish processions that culminate in the Virgin being escorted out to sea assisted by dozens of 'jábegas', typical Malaga fishing boats. Once in the sea, the Virgin blesses the waters and remembers those who have died at sea in the previous year.
This is one of the oldest traditions in Malaga, a festivity that combines its seafaring roots and the province's devotion to the patron of the sea, while captivating locals and tourists alike with its historical significance and festivities.
This tradition goes back to the Old Testament prophet, Elias, who lived as a hermit in a cave on Mount Carmel. Legend says that the Virgin Mary appeared to the prophet on Mount Carmel, presenting him with a scapular, a long piece of cloth worn as a religious sacrament.
Hundreds of years later, it became popular with pilgrims heading to the 13th century chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin to ask for her protection.
The Virgin of Carmel is patron of the Carmelite order, a mendicant order of the Roman Catholic Church which is thought to have been founded in the 12th century. Carmen derives from the Hebrew Al-Karem (meaning the garden or vineyard of God), and her veneration has been spread throughout the world by the Carmelites.
During the middle of the 13th century, members of the order arrived in England. According to legend, a Carmelite named Simon Stock is said to have seen a vision of the Virgin of Carmel on 16 July 1251. Historical evidence concerning his life is inconsistent, although medieval documents show he hosted the first general chapter of the Carmelite Order held outside the Holy Land, and that he was responsible for expanding the order in southern and western Europe.
The Virgin is said to have given him the Carmelite habit, the brown scapular, promising him it would save those who wore it. The scapular received papal recognition in 1587. In 1270, the General Chapter of London gave permission for a Carmelite order to be founded in Spain.
Popular devotion to the Virgen del Carmen began to take hold in Spain around the end of the 13th century, when she became the protector of sailors, merchant seamen and fishermen.
This veneration is demonstrated by the fact that the first names Carmen and María del Carmen are among the most popular girls' names in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries.
In 1901, María Cristina de Habsburgo (mother of King Alfonso XIII) and the Duke of Veragua (minister of the Navy) endorsed a Royal Order by which the Virgen del Carmen was made patron of the Spanish Navy.
Although the feast day is mainly celebrated in coastal towns in Spain, there are a few inland locations that also venerate the Virgen del Carmen, such as Rute (Cordoba), and Benalúa (Granada).
Locations from Nerja to Estepona will host festivities in honour of the Virgen del Carmen on Tuesday. Some places, like Rincón de la Victoria, the El Palo district of Malaga, Torremolinos and Los Boliches, hold a fair to coincide with the celebration.
In the city, processions take place in the district of Pedregalejo, and El Palo. The festivities in El Palo include the image of the Virgin being taken to a specific point on the La Malagueta beach, where it is submerged to a small niche located at the bottom of the bay the Malaga Divers Association.
In Caleta de Vélez, which is home to Malaga province's largest fishing harbour in terms of number of boats, the town's fishermen traditionally cook a giant paella which they share with locals and visitors as their way of giving thanks to the town that supports the industry.
The image of La Virgen del Carmen is then taken out to sea on a fishing boat before being brought back to the parish church.
In neighbouring Torre del Mar, La Virgen del Carmen was officially recognised as patron saint of the town by the Vatican in 2023. Here the image is carried around the streets of the town and then like in Caleta, she is taken out to sea before being returned to the chapel.
Other processions take place in Benalmádena, Fuengirola, Mijas Costa, Marbella, Estepona, Nerja, Torrox, Benajarafe and Rincón de la Victoria.
For details and schedules, see the relevant town hall social media or websites.
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