Formentera begins in mid-July a cycle of popular festivities that does not end until the first week of August. The festivities of El Carmen (16th of July), Sant Jaume (25th of July) and Santa Maria (5th of August), known as the Festes de la Terra, practically link up.
But more immediate is the celebration of the patron saint of seafarers, the Virgen del Carmen, next Sunday. It is the day of all professionals and families linked to the sea, which in a place like Formentera goes back several generations. In this celebration is launched a wreath to the sea during the procession in memory of those who died at sea.
This year, the La Savina Neighbors Associationwhich organizes the program in collaboration with the Consell de Formentera, has prepared a program that sticks to the classic activities that have been held year after year.
On July 15between 6 pm and 8.30 pm, a children’s party with foam, music and bouncy castles will be held.
The big day, July 16water games open the program at 5 pm at the Water Sports Center on the shore of s’Estany des Peix.
The seafaring procession
But the most relevant event and the one that attracts the most people is the procession in which members of the Fishermen’s Guild are the protagonists and the ones in charge of carrying the image of the Virgen del Carmen along the promenade until reaching the fishermen’s docks, where it is taken aboard some of the two trawlers of the local fleet. Before the solemn outdoor mass will be celebrated on the terrace of the Casa del Mar.
This procession is followed by dozens of boats that join the procession to then pass near the boat carrying the image to be blessed by the parish priest, which becomes a real feast.
Back to the port, at 9 pm, it will be the turn of the folkloric dance with local groups Es Xacoters and Es Pastorells.
From 10 p.m. onwards, the following local groups are scheduled to perform simultaneously at three different points along the promenade Aires Formenterencs, All Sex and Jam Factory. The party will end at dawn with three djs who will play different genres, from Latin music to techno.
The Carmen party is also celebrated in the tourist town of es Pujols, where it begins tomorrow Thursday at 10 p.m. in the Plaza Europa with the performance of Antena Librewithin the cycle music in the squares organized by the Consell Insular.
On Friday, the Plaza de Europa will host activities for the little ones with a clown and acrobatics show. In the evening there will be live music in the square with the performances of Insua, Sur and Bendita Vargas. The night will be closed by dj Malinga da Morte.
The program in this town continues on July 16 with two classic athletics events, the Urban Mile and the five-kilometer race, which celebrates its thirty-eighth edition and will start at 10 a.m. from Miramar Avenue.
In this town, the seafaring procession in honor of the Virgen del Carmen will be held on July 30. As is traditional, the mass will be officiated in the area of the dry docks of the fishermen’s boats of this town, and then go in procession to the sea. On the way back there will be a ball pagès with local groups.
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