La Virgen del Carmen - 16th July

The Virgen del Carmen, also known as Nuestra Señora de Monte Carmelo (Our Lady of Mount Carmel), is patroness of the Carmelite Order. The first Carmelites were followers of the old prophet Elijah who, in his old age, retreated to a cave in Mount Carmelo near Haife in Israel. These Christian hermits lived on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land during the late 12th to mid 13th centuries but, with the invasion of the Saracens, they were forced to leave. One ancient tradition says that before departing, the Virgin appeared to them as they prayed for her protection and promised to be their Star of the Sea, (Stella Maris).

Stella Maris was soon adopted by mariners and fishermen everywhere as their patron. Although long overtaken by tourism,many Costa towns still retain fishing communities and a strong attachment to "la Reina de los Mares" (The Queen of the Seas). It was once believed that the Virgin cleared up the waters with her presence and that only after July 16 would the sea be fit for swimming in.

In Torrevieja this annual fiesta is always hugely popular with residents and holiday makers alike with several thousand turning up to watch the procession every year. Following a mass in the church of the Immaculate Conception in the town centre, the heavy, beautifully decorated float bearing statue of the Virgen is paraded through the town, the float held aloft by 18 costaleros from the Cofradia de Pescadores (Fishermen's Brotherhood). The procession of fiesta queens and attendants accompanied by a band lead the way from the church down to the harbour where the statue is placed on a fishing boat and taken on a trip around the harbour before being carried back to the church. A firework extravaganza ends the evening festivities.