The Fishermans Festival
La Virgen del Carman - a story brought to you by Nerja Hotels
My wife and I had our first holiday in Nerja a few years, during the hottest month of the year – scorching July. The temperatures were hot, the beaches full of lots of lovely girls in their tiny bikinis. Unfortunate, there were also a large number of British and German middle aged matrons of excessively ample proportion. I politely asked my wife if she would become as fat and walrus as some of the monstrosities to be seen wallowing in the sand. In the interests of good taste, her reply cannot be printed.
A particular day I remember was the festival of La Virgen del Carmen, held on the 16th of July. There was an expectant atmosphere that morning, and lots of ladies wander around shout “Viva” followed by words we didn’t understand.
The previous evening had been very enjoyable, with a barbecue in town, a bar with copious amounts of beer and wine, and free snacks, including the inevitable sardines. We had no idea what was going on, but enthusiastically join in regardless.
A friendly lottery seller explained that La Virgin del Carman was the patron saint of fisherman. Despite the advent of tourism, fishing remains a very import industry in Andalucía. As well as Nerja, festivals in honour of La Virgen del Carman are held at many coastal towns.
As evening approached, we watched as a procession started at the lovely El Salvador Church, in the heart of Nerja on the Balcon de Europa. The procession made its way to the sea, where the statue was carefully loaded on to a small boat. The boat was beautifully decked out, perhaps garishly, but none the less very attractive.
A procession of boats made their way to Calahonda Beach, where the statue was brought ashore once more.
The many thousands of spectators were then treated to a terrific firework show. The fireworks were set of on the beach, and also on boats bobbing up and down in the sea. It was all very ad-hoc, but great fun. The Health and Safety brigade in the United Kingdom would have been appalled at the apparent lack of safety procedures, but thank heaven the Spanish have more commonsense than we Brits, bound up in silly rules as we are.
The entertainment was not finished with the fireworks. A bandstand had been set up on the Balcon de Europa, where the crowds were treated to music, singing and dancing until the early hours. The amplifiers were turned up to maximum and heaven help anyone trying to sleep in a hotel close to the celebrations.
A really good time was had by all. If you are in Nerja on your holidays on the 16th July, join in the fun. You will be glad you did.
This story was brought to you by nerjahotels.org.uk, where you will find our recommended Nerja Villas, Nerja Hotels and Nerja Apartments.
