Santander will celebrate the great day of the festivity of the Virgin of the Sea on Monday, June 9, with the traditional procession from the parish to the hermitage, a mass officiated by Bishop Arturo Ros, and a popular meal where 1,500 servings of paella will be distributed, along with activities for children and various performances.
This was announced on Wednesday by the mayor, Gema Igual, who encouraged the people of Santander to participate in the scheduled events to commemorate the feast of the city’s patron saint. She also congratulated the Brotherhood of the Virgin of the Sea, led by its president José María Soto, and the residents of San Román for their work in making the celebration a reality.
The religious events of the day will begin at 9 am with a mass at the hermitage. At 10:45, the procession with the image of the Virgin will start from the parish of San Román, accompanied by the Musical Group Virgin of Bitterness. At 12 pm, there will be a mass officiated by the bishop and sung by the Santa Catalina choir, along with the municipal band, with the renewal of vows by the City Council and the floral offering to the Virgin.
At 1 pm, there will be raffles, a popular meal with the tasting of 1,500 servings of paella, and musical performances by the groups ‘Choirs and Dances’, ‘Choir Ronda La Encina’, and Los Güeyos. From 4 pm to 7 pm, there will be traditional wooden games, followed by performances by ‘Aires de San Román with the Pandereteras de Santander’ and the children’s choirs of Mercedarias, Cumbres, and Jorbalán. At 6:30 pm, the rosary will be prayed followed by a eucharist at the hermitage.
In honor of the festivity of the Virgin of the Sea, various pre-events have been scheduled, starting on Thursday with the procession of the Virgin of the Sea, the lowering of the light from the hermitage to the parish of San Román, where the first day of the novena will take place and will last until Friday, June 6.
SUNDAY 8 EVENTS
On the Sunday before the festivity, there will be different activities starting at 9:00 am with a competition of railway pots (registrations at the moment in the booth) with three prizes of 300, 200, and 200 euros for the winners thanks to the sponsorship of the Magdalena en Vivo concert series. In this regard, Gema Igual thanked the groups for their collaboration and continuous support to make the festival as participatory as possible.
From 11:00 am to 8:00 pm, there will be a traditional market with 20 stalls where agri-food products such as sausages, cheeses, sweets, doughnuts, sugared almonds, and blueberries can be purchased, as well as clothing, accessories, and jewelry.
From 11:00 am to 1:30 pm, there will be a drawing contest on the island (registrations at the moment). Participants will be provided with the drawing and given paints, but they can bring their materials if they wish. There will be one winner per category.
At 3:00 pm, there will be a performance by Rock Covers (National and International rock versions), followed by a children’s party and a DJ session with Jaime Martín.
Children can enjoy inflatables throughout the day and traditional wooden games as well.
The activities have been organized by the City Council in coordination with the Brotherhood of the Virgin of the Sea and with support from the Santander Tourism Sustainability Plan, with funding from the European Next Generation EU within the PRTR framework.
46 YEARS OF THE VIRGIN OF THE SEA AS PATRON SAINT OF SANTANDER
This year marks 46 years since the appointment of the Virgin of the Sea as the patron saint of the city and 31 years since the establishment of its Brotherhood. This celebration fulfills an ancient vow made by the Chapter and the City Council of the town on the Monday following Pentecost.
The image of the Virgin has had an extraordinary influence on the city of Santander, and throughout history, it has been invoked on multiple occasions to intercede in situations that plagued the city, such as a plague epidemic in 1597 or a severe drought in 1848, and it was also invoked during the COVID-19 pandemic.
