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Sunset Beach Club > Los Boliches

The Virgen del Carmen Processions: Don’t Miss this Breathtaking Cultural Event

by | Jul 13, 2011 | Holiday Tips, On the Costa del Sol, Things To Do, What's On

Virgen del CarmenFor those of you who enjoy taking in a little Spanish culture during your holidays, I highly recommend you take a couple of hours this Saturday (16th July) to go and see one of the many “Virgen del Carmen” processions taking place along the Coast.

Last year I went along to the Virgen del Carmen procession in Los Boliches – just a 15 minute drive from the hotel – and thoroughly enjoyed the experience (follow the link to the blog post I wrote).

I won’t provide a long winded explanation of what this day represents – you can see this post about the Virgen del Carmen celebrations for that – but I will quickly explain a little about the reason for this colourful and emotional event.

The Virgen del Carmen, or Stella Maris, as she is often referred to is the patron saint of fishermen and of the Spanish Navy! If you visit one of the processions which take place in most of the “traditional” fishing villages along the Coast – Los Boliches, Benalmádena,La Carrihuelain Torremolinos, Marbella and Estepona, to name but a few – you will witness the pure devotion the local villagers towards their patron saint.

The processions usually start off in the afternoon as the fishermen carry their “Virgen” – which is usually handcrafted in wood and porcelain (more…)

The “Virgen del Carmen” Procession in Los Boliches: Amazing!

by | Jul 20, 2010 | Things To Do

Virgen del Carmen

The Virgen del Carmen being carried by the Fishermen in Los Boliches

On Friday evening, I decided to follow the advice I gave on my blog post about the Virgen del Carmen Celebrations and took my family to see the processions in Los Boliches, Fuengirola.

Unlike some of the other towns, the procession in Los Boliches is well known for starting late in the evening; it actually goes on until well after midnight. As we arrived early – well early by Spanish standards – we decided to stop off in one of the “chiringuitos” on the beach and enjoy a little “pescaito frito”; calamares, boquerones, prawns and a couple of cold beers!

We were now ready to go and see the “Stella Maris”. I have been to other “Virgen del Carmen” processions in other towns, but this was my first time in Los Boliches; I couldn’t believe the amount of people that turned up to the promenade to watch…. We are talking thousands! The procession started in the church and made its way down to the paseo maritimo (promenade) where thousands of families watched and cheered as the local fishermen carried the “Virgen” into the sea and onto one of the fishing boats that awaited. (more…)