A magical day, in a magical place.
Hello, hello friends of this community.
Today I want to share with you a tradition that I adopted a few years ago with my adoptive family (my husband's family or in-laws). I am Venezuelan, I had not mentioned that I belong to this beautiful but mistreated Caribbean country. In Venezuela people are very religious and believers, in the east, where I currently live, every September 8th is celebrated the day of the Virgin of the Valley, which is considered Patron Saint of fishermen who call her "the most tender and sweet of the mothers" and they always invoke it before setting sail or throwing the net, so that it protects them on the high seas and the fishing is good. This religious manifestation dates from the year 1530 when the Spanish brought the Virgin to the island of Cubagua, Nueva Esparta state. After the cyclone that hit that insular territory in 1542, it was transferred to the Valley of the Holy Spirit on Margarita Island, where it still remains, in a sanctuary built in its honor and there its most faithful believers travel every year to witness her descent and honor her.
In the town of Mochima, a National Park located in the State of Sucre, every year festivities and religious acts are held in his honor. I lived in Mochima, 10 years ago, for a period of 3 years when I got married, until I returned married and with two girls to my hometown Cumaná and we settled down to make life here. I have never been devoted to saints, nor the most faithful to the church, although I know some prayers and I know some festivities, because I grew up in a family where my maternal grandmother was a faithful Catholic Christian believer, but my paternal grandparents were Jehovah's Witnesses, the Grandparents greatly influence our upbringing, and I knew about the two religions, only one believed in saints and the other didn't!... Yes! Hahahaha… What a confusion. My parents were in the middle of everything, but they were always more inclined towards the Jehovah's Witnesses, therefore they did not pay tribute to any saint, or virgin or anything. Despite that, I sometimes escaped from the "normal" that was the Catholic Church and its beliefs, because the vast majority believe and my childhood friends went to mass. I like it, I like FAITH, I think it is the basis of everything and the tradition that believers carry out with such devotion and enthusiasm, for this reason I attend and I like it, I enjoy it a lot because it is contagious and beautiful, besides, I have always dreamed with getting married in the catholic church with a long dress and an ostentatious party… hahahaha
Continuing with the story, I try every year to attend the walk of the Virgen del Valle by the sea that they carry out in Mochima, my beautiful and beloved town, of which I will make another post later, which is worth it because it is unique in the world. . Here I want to share beautiful real photographs of my own, from the sharing of this family outing. The town is filled with joy, rockets are heard and people get up early to take out their little virgin with a new dress (every year for this date they renew their wardrobe).
The boats or ships are decorated with palms and balloons, they even have music with electric silver for the road or live music with a retreat and sometimes even mariachis. They mount their virgins and go out in groups to the specific walk through the beaches that make up the National Park, or at least the beaches closest to the town. They also visit the caves of the virgins (created by the same settlers, which are full of little virgins and the natural monuments (mountains and stones) where some faithful believer left a virgin in commemoration of something or someone or thanks for some miracle attributed to him .
My husband's family is large, there are many cousins and uncles, especially the paternal one, because both (father-mother) are backpackers. The cousins are contemporaries, happy and good-natured young people, the aunts are also happy, because not everything is religious, it is also festive and they take their drinks in honor of the Virgin, they celebrate and together they share and liven up the celebration themselves. I love this family, and they adopted me as part of them, we always share and enjoy most of the time many days in a row even though most of those cousins migrated to the capital, Caracas, and have their routine, their jobs and their lives. there, every time they can come (several times a year) they come to visit, each one has their mothers and family foster homes, but they all come to my in-laws' house to share, because we call it "The House of Happiness", and it really is like that, it is a house with a very good vibe, by the sea and where there is always abundance, may God bless you and always be like this.
I really enjoy this walk, the landscapes, the immense sea, the super good vibes, the family love and the immense Faith that is felt is unmatched. Totally renew my energy and fill me with light. I loved sharing this experience and tradition every year that I try to follow, within time and responsibilities. And here I leave you a family photo of my daughters, a little niece and me because my husband was working.
Happy day community… See you soon!
May God bless you greatly.