The program for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Virgin of the Valley began with the novena offered by different religious parishes in the state of Anzoátegui.
To fulfill this traditional celebration, whose main day will be Tuesday, September 8, novenas and the pilgrimage of the image of the patron saint of the east are carried out in several municipalities.
This year, the festivities in honor of the patron saint of fishermen and the Bolivarian Navy will have a religious character of reflection and austerity in solidarity with the victims of the earthquakes that struck the country on June 24, a measure announced by the bishops of the Dioceses of Barcelona and El Tigre, Jorge Aníbal Quintero and José Manuel Romero Barrios, respectively.
In the Cathedral of Barcelona, the descent and the first day of the novena took place with a holy mass officiated by the parish priest Luis Eduardo Rebanales, an activity that represents the beginning of the religious festivities.
The pilgrimage of the venerated image through Barcelona begins in the Madre Vieja neighborhood this Monday, August 31. The route continues in the following days through the Barrio Colombia, Camino Nuevo, La Chica, and Historic Center neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, in El Tigre, the festivities began on August 17th at the Our Lady of the Valley Cathedral with the traditional lowering of the image. That day marked the start of visits to different neighborhoods, culminating on September 5th, in anticipation of the main events on September 8th, the anniversary of the canonical coronation of "Vallita."
In Lechería and Puerto La Cruz, where hundreds of devotees gather for the traditional procession by sea, the activities include a tour of the communities with the image and masses on the day of the saint.
With the Virgen del Valle Route 2026, in Lechería they visit emblematic points that pay homage to the Marian devotion, where neighbors and tourists participate in a journey that promotes traditions and Marian devotion.
A sculpture of the Virgin of the Valley will be unveiled on September 8th in Puerto La Cruz.
This clay piece is made by the renowned young sculptor Josué Benjamín, “who meticulously takes care of every detail of the colorful dress, the mantle and the traditional prayer posture of the Virgin,” reported Governor Luis José Marcano.
He explained that this project will be part of the attractions of the emblematic Empanada Boulevard, a space that is currently being rehabilitated and is located next to the old ferry terminal, now the Eulalia Buroz Commercial Port.
