July 16 is the day of the Virgen del Carmen, the patron saint of all sea goers and especially loved by fishermen. It is a day celebrated in hundreds of towns up and down the coast of Spain, with celebrations in this area in Garrucha, Villaricos, San Juan (in Pulpi and in Cabo de Gata) and Carboneras. The tradition involves taking the Virgin from the church or hermitage where She is kept and carrying Her through the streets accompanied by a band and often by the fishermen's wives in traditional costumes, floral tributes are usually made to the effigy. The procession takes Her down to the local port where She is put aboard one of the fishing boats and taken out to sea again accompanied but this time by the fishing fleet and almost anything that can be sailed out of the harbour. This is all done in the best fiesta style with plenty of bonhomie and alcohol. There is a darker side as alcohol and water don't mix too well and it is not unusual to hear of someone falling overboard and drowning during the festivities.
The history of the Virgen del Carmen can be traced back to the old testament which tells of the prophet Elias retreating to Mount Carmelo (from which comes Carmen) in modern day Israel where he had a vision of a cloud rising from the sea, later interpreted to be a manifestation of the Virgin Mary. From there comes one connection with sea farers. A connection can also be found in the fact that the Virgen del Carmen is known as the 'Estrella del Mar' (star of the sea) harking back to the days before GPS when mariners navigated by the stars.
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