San Vicente Ferrer - Fiesta in Valencia
(Monday 1 week after Easter: 16th April in 2007)
What it is about
San
Vicente Ferrer is another patron saint,
this time of the Valencian Community. He was less of a typical church
figure and more of a politician and a XIV century intellectual,
well known for his influence in the Papal elections. He is also
known as one of the most-productive Catholic miracle-makers, and
this aspect gets the most emphasis during the fiesta.
To see:
- Plays at street altars
- Offering of the flowers
- Home of San Vicente
- Official Procession
What happens
All Day - Home of San Vicente Ferrer
Valencia hosts the home
of San Vicente Ferrer as a museum. During the day of the fiesta it
will be the centre of attention, extra active and free entry. It is an
outstanding example of lush Valencian ceramic interior (even more amazing
in a medieval household), and you can also find out about the life of
San Vicente. If you are in Valencia during this fiesta, do come and see
it.
Location: near Plaza Tetuan (
Paginas
Amarillas Map)
Midday - Offer of the Flowers
No fiesta in Valencia happens without lots of flowers. Today they
will be brought to the home of San Vicente and beautifully arranged
outside into an altar with the saint's portrait. The actual ceremony
will go on from midday onwards, if you
come you can enjoy the fiesta buzz and the atmosphere. If not, at
least do come later to marvel at the completed flower job. See location
above.
19.00pm - Official Procession
This procession is not great and can be missed, but if you have
nothing else to do, why not... Various religious associations will
march with standards from the Cathedral to the home of San Vicente.
There will be a few traditional costumes and kids dressed up in
medieval wear, but generally it is quite bleak and uneventful for
a fiesta. At the end of the procession you will see the main city
image (statue) of San Vicente carried on the shoulders of believers.
Length: 1.5 hours, Route:
View Map
All day - The Altars
This is the most entertaining part of the fiesta. Over the weekend
prior to Monday 13 street altars
will be constructed in the city. They are all different and gorgeous,
well worth seeing. These altars are actually a theatre stage: closer
to the evening they will all display plays by children under 13
years old. The plays will feature episodes of San Vicente's many
miracles (in Valenciano, unfortunately). Boring? Far from it! Valencian
kids are born for stage and you may find yourself laughing all day
long without understanding a word.
The exact times of the plays vary from year to year, and are hard to find out - unless you ask at the altars themselves. The plays do seem to occur mostly between 5 and 7pm, and then after 9pm (after the Official Procession)
View the Map of the Altars in the Centre >>>>
View
Photos of the Altars
Sunday - the day before San Vicente Ferrer
There will already be plenty of movement on Sunday before the fiesta.
If you can get to Plaza de la Virgen at midday, you will see the ceremonial
placement of the statue of San Vicente into the altar, and also some tradidional
fiesta dancing.