In Catalonia and all over Spain there is great devotion to La Mare de Déu del Carme (La Virgen del Carmen in Spanish). She is the protector of mariners and fishermen and also as Stella Maris, patron of the sea.
This festivity dates back to the seventeenth century. According to legend a Carmelite scapular saved a British vessel adrift in a hurricane.
Devotees of Our Lady hold mass in Her honour and a procession of boats leave the Port d’Aiguadolç and head West to then return to port. At the head of the procession is a fisherman’s boat that carries the statue of La Mare de Deu del Carme and as the boats pass in front of the cemetery, flowers are thrown into the sea for the protection of devout mariners.
