Benidorm once again shows its devotion to Mare de Déu del Sofratge in the commemoration of the 283rd anniversary of the discovery of the patroness saint

Benidorm celebrated yesterday afternoon the commemoration of the Finding of its patroness saint, the Verge del Sofratge, as every March, with a massive offering that was the debut of the new queens of the Festes Majors Patronals, Angélica Morenilla, and Daniela Talavera.

All the festive, cultural, and civic entities of the city participated in the offering, headed by the group of xirimiters from the Marina Baixa, the Mare de Déu, the standard-bearer Cristóbal Ronda, the queens, and their courts, the president of the Comissió, Vicente Solaz, the Associació de Penyes, and its president Ramón Cano, and the local authorities with the mayor Toni Pérez at the helm. The autonomous and provincial deputies Manuel Pérez Fenoll and José Ramón González de Zárate also participated.

Before starting the pilgrimage and subsequent offering, the queens, ladies, and representatives of the festive entities visited the 'auca' located in Elche Park that recreates as a comic the day the Virgin appeared in a boat in the year 1740. Some illustrations are in three languages, Spanish, Valencian, and English, and that are located at the point where the Finding of the patroness saint of Benidorm is represented each year.

The pilgrimage began at around 6:30 p.m. from Parque de Elche and ran through Paseo de la Carretera, Alameda, Calle Mayor, and Plaza de Sant Jaume. After the arrival at Plaza de la Mare de Déu with the ACR La Barqueta, the following were the standard-bearer Cristóbal Ronda and his family, the band of Societat Musical La Nova and from there all the festive, cultural, and social entities, and the peñas, up to a total of 111 who offered to the patron saint. An offering that culminated in the one made by the major and child queens and their courts and local authorities.

The act continued with the verse recited by the child queen Daniela Talavera, who impressed those present with her passion, emotion, and brilliance. Minutes later, the eldest queen Angélica Morenilla made a speech to show her childhood memories "and everything that surrounded devotion to Mare de Déu". She stressed that "it doesn't matter if 20 or 50 years go by because the bonds of friendship between the queens and their ladies last forever." The queen highlighted "the honor of being a lady of the Mare de Déu and Sant Jaume" and said that the moment she became queen "I knew it would be one of the best in my life" and advanced that "it will be a special year because we will fully celebrate the party.” “I will go out of my way to make you all proud. This afternoon when I dress for the first time in the regional costume, I ask the Virgin to bless us all.

Vicente Solaz, for his part, praised his entire team of foremen, "the best travel companions" and addressed the queens to tell them that "Angelica, you are light and sympathy and Daniela, you have given us a fantastic, wonderful and unforgettable moment. Benidorm is proud of the queens and the courts that it has”.

The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, closed the interventions. In the first place, he affirmed that “Benidorm has not had a greater day than the Discovery of our patron saint.

Since then the city is different”. He also had a memory "for those who are no longer here but are in our hearts" and addressed the patron: "Mother, Benidorm trusts in you and this offering is a small sample of our devotion. We need many moments like this, in which we recognize ourselves in what really matters”. Pérez concluded by inviting "everyone to participate in the Alba festival to get to know the soul and feeling of Benidorm, which is caring, pampering and showing our love for the patron saint".

The offering ended with the interpretation of the hymns of Benidorm and the Valencian Community and the firing of a fireworks display from the Plaça de la Senyoria.