Hundreds of fishermen and their families of Arenys de Mar, a village near Barcelona, prayed yesterday to Our Lady of the Carmel, following an old tradition for their safety and their dead comrades in the way they best know: going out to sea with an Image of their Patroness and singing and cheering her all the way.
It’s a small fishermen’s port with small boats; they were adorned with colorful garlands, especially the biggest one, who led the expedition with the venerated image that rude men had secured on top of the cabin and adorned with flowers.
We went out to the sea, and all the way, the fishermen sang to their patroness and paid her affectionate compliments. Dozen of other boats were following ours to the open sea, where they prayed for their comrades lost, throwing red roses into the water in their memory. It was sunset. Then we return to the port where a party with song and some delicious fire-roasted sardines awaited us.
