The patron saint of sailors tours the historic center to later sail in the Bay
Thousands of devotees venerate the Virgin del Carmen in her marine procession
Once in port, the 'Marinera of Honor' recited the traditional verse to the Virgen del Carmen, and the 'stampeta' was lit
Benidorm has once again said goodbye to the festivities in honor of the Virgen del Carmen with a massive marine procession in the waters of its Bay.
Shortly before 7:00 p.m., and despite the heat, the members of the Fiestas del Carmen commission and the rest of the festive entities called to collect the image of the patron saint of sailors and transport it in procession from the church of Sant Jaume i Santa Anna to the port.
The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, and the Councilor for Fiestas, Mariló Cebreros, accompanied the Virgin in a procession formed, among others, by a large part of the Municipal Corporation; the regional deputy, Mario Villar; the Sailor of Honor, Carmen Albarral; the president of the Fiestas del Carmen, Ginés Alvarado; the queens of the Festes Majors Patronals 2023, Angélica Morenilla and Daniela Talavera; and the presidents of the Comissió and the Association of Penyes 'Verge del Sofratge', Vicente Solaz and Ramón Cano.
The image, on the prow of a swallow, began its tour of Levante and Poniente after 8:00 p.m., escorted by another swallow and many private boats, even rowing, such as those of the Yacht Club and the Anémona association, and with the protection of the boats of the Local Police and the beach lifeguard service.
When the sun set in the West, the ship stopped in front of the Castell. There, a group of divers descended to the bottom with an image of the Star of the Seas to leave it in a strategic place on the seabed of the bay and a bouquet. Then, the priest José Antonio González, led the prayer in memory of those who fell at sea, and laurel wreaths were thrown in his memory, one of them by Toni Pérez, Angélica Morenilla, and Daniela Talavera.
Once the offerings were made, the maritime procession returned to the port and, once on land, the image stopped before the temple installed on the Paseo de Colón where the girl Carmen Albarral recited the traditional verse to the Virgin that culminated with the subsequent lighting of a 'stamp'.
At night, at the Plaça de la Senyoria, a mixed 'mascletà' was fired by the Turís pyrotechnics, before the entry of the image into the parish church and, with the 'Salve Marinera', the final point was put at festivities in honor of the Virgen del Carmen.
