Valentina Merenciano recited her verse first in Sant Jaume i Santa Anna church, and then before the boundary cross
The rain does not prevent Benidorm from celebrating Festa de la Creu, which is celebrated in a double way
Benidorm has celebrated Festa de la Creu once again, one of the most deeply rooted events on the local calendar, which has brought together numerous residents and visitors next to the boundary cross located at the beginning of Emilio Ortuño road.
The day began early in the morning with the ringing of the bells at the Church of Sant Jaume i Santa Anna. Around 11:00 a.m., the rain began, and to avoid further problems, the program was altered, starting in reverse order with the floral offering, the religious ceremony, and the traditional verses, which on this occasion were recited by young Valentina Merenciano.
After the rain stopped, the procession, made up of authorities and festival groups, marched to the boundary cross located at the beginning of Emilio Ortuño Street. Leading the procession were the Xirimiters de la Marina, followed by the Comissió de la Festa de la Creu, presided over by Paqui Calvo; and the Associació de Penyes Verge del Sofratge, in this case headed by its vice-president, Lucho Sánchez. And the Commission, with Ramón Cano, its president, and the adult and children's queens of the Patron Saint Festivities, Laura Ivars and Carmen Guillen, along with their courts of honour.
Behind them came the authorities, led by the mayor, Toni Pérez, and the councillor for Fiestas, Mariló Cebreros, and other members of the municipal corporation, accompanied by the senator of the Kingdom of Spain, Agustín Almodóbar, and the regional deputy, José Ramón González de Zárate.
Upon reaching the cross, decorated for the occasion by the women of La Creu, Valentina Merenciano once again moved those present by repeating the recitation of the verse, this time without fear of the rain and before the expectant eyes of hundreds of residents and visitors who captured the moment with their mobile phone cameras.
Afterwards, all the participants marched to the Casa del Fester Diego Cano Enguera, where the Festa de la Creu Committee treated them to refreshments and snacks.
Festa de la Creu has its roots in the 19th century, when in 1802 the first wooden cross was erected to mark the municipal boundary, and it has remained a living tradition in the city ever since.
