Once again, Sitges is about to celebrate the Festival in honour of the Virgin of Carmel, patron saint of sailors and fishermen. One of the central events of the programme will again be the Procession of boats, on July 16, presided over by the image of the Virgin of Mount Carmel. The boats will leave at 7pm from the port of Aiguadolç and go to Terramar, where they will return to the Port.

The festival programme will last for a week. The first event will be on the 13th, at 6 pm, at the Centre d’Interpretació de la Malvasia de Sitges, where the activity “Malvasia and Aiguadolç: a love story” will take place. People who sign up will visit the modernist complex of Hospital Sant Joan Baptista, the urban vineyard, and the museum. In addition, they will enjoy an aperitif and a guided tasting of three Malvasia de Sitges wines aged underwater. The entrance fee is 40 euros. Registrations must be made through this link .

On July 16, at 11 a.m. in the parish of Sant Bartomeu and Santa Tecla, there will be a solemn mass in honour of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. At seven o’clock in the evening, the Procession and the blessing of the boats will begin at the Port of Aiguadolç, to accompany the image of the Virgin of Carmel to Terramar. During the route, there will be a burst of salutes, as the boats pass in front of the different hermitages and Sitges churches. As it passed the cemetery, a floral offering will be made, in memory of all deceased fishermen and sailors.

Once the procession has finished, there will be a tasting of d’arròs mariner (seafood rice) cooked by the Fishermen’s Guild, and accompanied with Malvasia de Sitges Blanc Subur white wine, from the Celler de l’Hospital, at the Port. Tickets for the tasting can be purchased there from 7 p.m. From 8 p.m., there will be a Catalan rumba sung by Enrique Santiago Music, accompanied with burnt rum.

The commemoration events in honour of the Virgin of Mount Carmel end on Saturday the 20th at 7 p.m. when the Centre d’Interpretació de la Malvasia de Sitges is hosting the event “The legacy of the Americans: a tasting of malvasias and chocolates”. At this event, Indian stories will be recounted during a food and wine visit guided by Anna Castellví, from the Indian Municipalities Network, and by the historian and director of the CIM, Alba Gràcia. Three wines and three types of chocolates will be tasted. The ticket price is 12 euros and can be purchased at this link .

The origins of this holiday are found in a story that explains that the Virgin Mary saved an English ship that was in the middle of a terrible storm. One of the sailors, out of despair, began to pray, and tore off a scapular of the Carmelite order, throwing it into the sea, causing the storm to stop immediately. This legend contributed to Our Lady of Mount Carmel becoming a patron among sailors and navigators.