Instead of the usual parades, floats and entertainment – including the annual Fancy Dress Party – just two religious mass ceremonies will be celebrated.

The ceremonies will be held on 8th and 9th of November in honour of Benidorm’s patron, the Virgin of the Shipwreck.

READ MORE: SPOOKY: Benidorm’s November Fiestas began in 1740 after a pandemic

Benidorm’s councillor for fiestas, Jesús Carrobles, said:

“Aside from these two ceremonies, the City Council will not authorise the celebration of events during the days in which the Major Patronal Festivities should be celebrated, nor will it authorise the opening of premises or festive venues.”

“We are convinced that the behaviour of the people of Benidorm will be exemplary.”

The councillor added a citizen security plan would be put in place to avoid ‘concentrations’ of people.

READ MORE: Benidorm gives €214,000 reserved for November Fiestas to families struggling during COVID-19

What about the Fancy Dress Party?

Benidorm’s annual fancy dress party is a grass-roots event organised by the bars themselves, as well a Benidorm bar association.

There has been no clear intention to hold a COVID-19-safe party this year, and with Benidorm clamping down on gatherings it is unlikely one will happen.

The post November Fiestas CANCELLED in Benidorm for 2020 appeared first on Benidorm Reviews - Official News & Reviews Website.

So it’s no surprise Benidorm has a patron saint. ​

The November Fiestas are in honour of Benidorm’s patron, traditionally called the Virgin of the Shipwreck.

Most British people know this as the run-up to the fancy dress party – well, at least 35,000 Brits do, as that’s how many turned up for it in 2019.

COVID has now cancelled the 2020 version, but what’s spooky is people were also banned from touching the Shipwrecked Virgin back in 1740 due to fears of a pandemic.

For those who just Googled ‘Spanish Virgins’ and found this page, I’m talking about a statue of Maria and Jesús, alright.

Legend says the statue in the Old Town church came from a mysterious boat that villagers wanted to keep but the government wanted burnt in case it carried a virus.​

It sounds weird, but it’s a nice, Christmassy-sort-of-story that we could probably do with in these times.

The story goes:

• In 1740, a crew-less boat glided into Benidorm’s bay and was guided ashore by three local fishermen.
• The villagers in the port were moved by a statue of the Virgin Mary that remained on the ship, unharmed, as if bringing a message of hope.
• The people wanted to keep the Virgin in Benidorm and make it their Patrona, as is common among port towns on the Costa Blanca.
• The governor of Alcoy ordered the entire ship be burnt, however, in case it still carried the virus or plague that wiped out the crew.
• When the flames died down, children went looking for scraps of wood and iron – until one found the Virgin Mary with Baby Jesus in her arms in the stern of the ship, completely unharmed.

The legend grew, until religious authorities renamed it the Virgen del Sufragio and placed it in Benidorm’s Iglesia de Sant Jaume i Santa Anna – now in the Old Town, by the Mirador – in 1844.

In 1980, Benidorm’s Town Hall declared her ‘perpetual mayor’ of the city.

Every year, during the annual Benidorm November Fiestas Mayores Patronales, the discovery of the Virgen is reenacted, kicking off the week of festivities that traditionally ends with the fancy dress party.​

So, there you go, without knowing you partied up in honour of Benidorm’s Shipwrecked Virgin, quite a lot of you even dressed like her.

READ MORE: Benidorm gives €214,000 reserved for November Fiestas to families struggling during COVID-19

READ MORE: Benidorm Penyas suspend November acts – what now for Benidorm Fancy Dress and Fiestas Patronales 2020?

The post SPOOKY: Benidorm’s November Fiestas began in 1740 after a pandemic appeared first on Benidorm Reviews - Official News & Reviews Website.