‘The festivities went off without a hitch and there were no significant incidents,’ said Pérez, who also highlighted the event’s popularity this year. ‘Journalists from the international media came to Muxía to see our celebration up close, and they were very surprised by the number of people attending, the variety of activities on offer and unique aspects such as the fireworks and our palenque firecrackers,’ he explains.

Accommodation in the municipality was fully booked during the big weekend of the event. In the case of hostels, there was a significant influx of foreign pilgrims who wanted to take advantage of their trip to discover the extensive programme of events, which combined religious services with cultural and leisure activities. The restaurants and bars in the capital of Muxía were just as crowded during the festivities, as were the pulpería tents and the various food stalls scattered around the Malecón area.

Visitors from all over the world

For its part, the Sanctuary of La Barca continued to receive visitors during the week leading up to and during the pilgrimage itself. “The fact that it was reported in the media that the stone had moved again also increased the number of pilgrims to the temple, not only on the main days, but also throughout the Novena. In addition, the night-time torchlight procession attracted more devotees than last year. Even this weekend, the turnout was massive,‘ said the parish priest of the temple, Daniel Turnes, who also highlighted that ’the collaboration between institutions contributed to the overall success.”

The parish priest also highlighted the increase in the number of ‘pilgrims from all over the world’. Not surprisingly, during the Virgen de la Barca Festival, people of various nationalities gathered at the temple: Koreans, Taiwanese, Americans, English, South Americans, Irish, French and even Indonesians… A melting pot of origins with the same goal: to discover the spirituality and unique surroundings that make the Sanctuary of La Barca a prominent place of worship and visit. ‘Pilgrims who end their journey in Muxía seek a space here for reflection and to compile all the experiences they have had during their journey… And they usually come back,’ concludes Turnes.

The combination of liturgical and recreational events makes the programme a perfect mix to attract all kinds of audiences. Thus, over the four days, there were processions, services and outdoor Masses, as well as parades with brass bands, marching bands and folk groups, and performances by large orchestras, culminating in a concert by the international artist Soraya Arnelas.

‘This year, we decided to expand the range of cultural and leisure activities on offer, without neglecting the more traditional aspects,’ said the president of the Cultural Association of the Romería de la Barca de Muxía. It is a perfect combination that makes this celebration a benchmark not only nationally, but also internationally.

Large deployment of personnel

In this regard, the large influx of visitors required a large contingent of emergency and security personnel. ‘As on previous occasions, we had around a hundred Civil Protection volunteers from different parts of Galicia and also from other parts of Spain, such as Madrid, the Valencian Community and Extremadura,’ he explained.

In addition, and in order to ensure the health of those attending, there were three mobile intensive care units, a SAMUR team of ten professionals, and another team specialising in gender violence from Getafe, with four members. These were joined by around twenty local police officers and a dozen Civil Guard patrols (Traffic, Seprona and riot police).

La entrada The Festival of the Virgen de la Barca in Muxía closed its most popular edition ever, with over 55,000 attendees se publicó primero en Romería da Barca de Muxía.

The return of the image to its place, the temple, from the Parish Church, brought together not only a large part of the neighbourhood, but also the pilgrims who were finishing their Camino on this day of contemplation. As the procession advanced, accompanied by the music of the Ponteceso Municipal Band, the people of Muxía took turns carrying the Virgin to the temple.

The popularity of Muxía outside its borders is growing year after year, and this year it was very evident. People from the United Kingdom, the United States, South Korea and Taiwan mingled with the locals in a crowded procession and solemn mass, sung by the Muxía Polyphonic Choir. ‘Unity’ was the most repeated word in a homily that encouraged even greater devotion to Our Lady.

In addition, Daniel Turnes celebrated the signing of the agreement with the Xunta de Galicia, worth around €250,000, which will enable the interior and exterior restoration of the Sanctuary, and highlighted the next step to be taken: the recovery of the altarpiece that was lost in the fire on 25 December 2013. The Eucharist ended, as usual, with the singing of the Hymn to the Virgin of La Barca, which moved many and sparked numerous cheers and salutes to the saint.

In the streets of the town, there were four witnesses who experienced the Muxia tradition first-hand this weekend. The independent stories of David Smith, Elizabeth Phamestir, Yo Han and Sindy Wang coincide on one detail: they decided to extend their pilgrimage beyond Santiago de Compostela to Muxía, knowing that here there is a great history and incredible natural surroundings. They are not believers, but they say that something stirred inside them as they lived this experience.

The culmination of the most international edition

After the religious ceremonies, Monday of the Barca continued on the Malecón with a vermouth session led by the M-3 Show orchestra, which will repeat its performance in the evening. The grand finale will be provided by international singer Soraya Arnelas, who is bringing her 20th anniversary tour to Muxía.

La entrada The traditional procession to the Sanctuary closes the “Virgen de la Barca” Festival, which aspires to become an international event se publicó primero en Romería da Barca de Muxía.

From early in the morning, pilgrims from different places came to Muxía to experience that ‘Muxian feeling’: the magic of the Santuario de la Barca, the stones that surround it and its incredible natural environment. A magic that also allowed the town to become a meteorological oasis with a peaceful day, contrasting with the rain that fell in other neighbouring municipalities.

Even so, devotion to the Virgin of La Barca once again broke attendance records, surpassing previous years’ figures, at an outdoor Mass—sung by the Muxía Polyphonic Choir—which brought this unique tradition of the Galician fishing village to a large audience. The Dean of the S.A.M.I. Cathedral of Santiago, Manuel Jesús Formoso Fernández, presided over the Eucharist together with the parish priest, Daniel Turnes Rey. The latter thanked the entire neighbourhood and the volunteers who had come from different parts of Spain for their involvement in organising this event, which was a great success.

New features in the fireworks display

After the outdoor Mass, members of the Muxía Civil Protection Service carried the original 15th-century statue of the Virgin of the Boat to the town’s pier. The procession was accompanied by the Jesús Nazareno de Ferrol band and more than a thousand people who walked through the streets of the capital of Muxía.

The procession reached one side of the fish market, where one of the most eagerly awaited and emotional moments of the day took place: the largest fireworks display in Galicia. ‘On this occasion, as a novelty, we had more powerful and colourful fireworks, launching the first fireworks from two boats instead of one, as had been done previously,’ explains Ramón Pérez Barrientos, president of the Cultural Association of the Romería de la Barca de Muxía, organiser of the festive programme.

Once the fireworks display was over, Daniel Turnes proceeded with the traditional blessing of the boat, raising the image of the Virgin before the excited gaze of the public. The sound of the ships’ sirens and the intense cheers brought this event to a close, giving way to a new procession of the image of the Virgin, which was placed in the Parish Church of Muxía, this being the only night it spends outside the Sanctuary of the Barca.

Meanwhile, on the pier, the macro vermouth session began with Acordes y Galaxia, who will perform again in the evening alongside the Los Satélites orchestra.

Monday “de la Barca”, the neighbourhood day

Monday “de la Barca” is characterised by the participation of the people of Muxía. At the Sanctuary, there will be Masses at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

The main event of the day will be the procession from the Parish Church to the Sanctuary at 12.30 p.m. Once the image of the Saint has returned to the temple, a solemn Mass will be held, presided over by the parish priest.

At the same time, there will be a street party with music by the M-3 Show orchestra. The grand finale to Muxía’s biggest celebrations will be provided by international singer Soraya Arnelas with a concert starting at 11.30 pm on the Malecón.

All the information about the celebration can be found on the event’s website https://romeriadabarcademuxia.com/ and on its Facebook and Instagram profiles.

La entrada The Festival “Virgen de la Barca” breaks popularity records in its most international edition se publicó primero en Romería da Barca de Muxía.

The Muxía councillor, Javier Sar, acted as master of ceremonies for this event, presided over by the director of the Galician Tourism Agency, Xosé Manuel Merelles, and in which the members of the Cultural Association of the Romería de la Barca de Muxía – headed by Ramón Pérez Barrientos – and the Councillor for Culture, Sandra Vilela, also participated. In his speech, the mayor praised the achievements of CF Muxía over the last year. This was one of the reasons why the club was assigned the task of announcing this year’s festival.

In line with this, the club’s president, Juan José Busto, recalled that ‘on 8 June, our senior men’s and women’s teams made history in Muxía, reaching the final of the Costa Cup, no less than 59 years later’. They thanked the Virgin of the Barca for this milestone by making a floral offering.

Busto also dedicated a few words to the youth of Muxía, because “they are the present and the future of our town. You are the energy that fills the streets with joy and the football fields with excitement. Your effort, your creativity and your unity keep the spirit of Muxía alive and ensure that these festivities continue to shine from generation to generation,” he concluded to the applause and cheers of the hundreds of people who had gathered at the Malecón to attend the proclamation.

The players of CF Muxía then took the floor to praise the integrative power of the town in general, and the Romería de la Barca in particular. ‘In terms of unity, like our club,’ they said, expressing their hope that ‘we will never lack the joy of these festivities or the strength of our people, and that Muxía will continue to shine with the same passion that we bring to the pitch every Sunday.’

A highlight on the festive calendar

Xosé Manuel Merelles closed the event by reminding attendees that the Romería de la Virgen de la Barca has been a Festival of National Tourist Interest for almost four decades, offering numerous ‘attractions and resources to enchant visitors. In fact, the Santuario de la Barca is considered one of Galicia’s magical places,’ he said.

In this regard, and with the aim of raising awareness of the celebration beyond Spain’s borders, Merelles assured that the event has “sufficient merits to be declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest, as it is a benchmark in the Galician festival calendar for many reasons: it represents the identity of Galicia, combining beautiful natural landscapes, history, archaeology, culture, the sea, religiosity, music and festivities”.

Furthermore, as the end point of the Camino de Santiago, ‘Muxía represents the culture of St James, defined by solidarity, respect, humility, tolerance and empathy. Meeting places such as this are destined to play an increasingly important role,’ he said, wishing all the residents and visitors who had enjoyed these festive days well.

After the proclamation, the night-time festival began, led by the Kubo Orchestra. Despite the intermittent rain that fell during the night, the hundreds of people in attendance did not want to miss out on the musical performance by this group, which continued with a session led by Disco Móvil CDC.

Today’s programme

This morning’s fireworks display marks the start of the second day of festivities in Muxía, along with a parade of cabezudos (big-heads), pipers and brass bands through the streets of Muxía. There will be other performances, such as the Ponteceso Music Band and other musical groups that will liven up the atmosphere in the town. Meanwhile, at the Santuario de la Barca, Masses will be held at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. (sung), 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The entertainment will be provided by the Alianza orchestra, which will perform during the afternoon session, and the París de Noia orchestra, which will perform in the evening, together with the Alianza orchestra. The highlight will be the grand fireworks display from the pier, which will begin at 12.30 a.m.

All the information about the celebration can be found on the event’s website https://romeriadabarcademuxia.com/ and on their Facebook and Instagram profiles.

La entrada Pride in the football academy at the official opening of the “Virgen de la Barca” Festival se publicó primero en Romería da Barca de Muxía.

‘We hope the weather will be kind to us, especially on the big day, and that we will be able to celebrate the Romería de la Barca as normal,’ explains Ramón Barrientos, president of the Cultural Association. The organisers of this event are working tirelessly to promote Muxía’s biggest event beyond Spain’s borders. In fact, the town will be visited by international media professionals who have shown an interest in learning more about this event.

As for the festival programme, tomorrow, 12 September, will begin with the setting off of 21 fireworks at 12 noon, followed by a parade of giants and big-heads with bagpipe bands through the town (which will be repeated on Saturday 13 September at the same time in the morning, and on Sunday 14th and Monday 15th at 9:00 a.m.).

Next, the first vermouth session will take place with Disco Móvil CDC, which will also end this first day of festivities with another performance in the evening.  

Proclamation by CF Muxía

The official opening of the Romería de la Barca will take place at 8.30 pm on the orchestra stage, located on the Malecón. On this occasion, and in tribute to grassroots sport, the opening speech will be given by the players of CF Muxía. The event will be presided over by the director of the Galician Tourism Agency, Xosé Manuel Merelles, members of the Cultural Association of the Romería de la Barca de Muxía, and representatives of the Muxía Town Council.

Next, the night-time festival will begin. This will be led by the Kubo orchestra, which boasts the largest stage in Spain.

Music will also play a leading role on Sábado de la Barca, with the Alianza orchestra providing entertainment at the open-air dance, which will be repeated in the evening, together with París de Noia. The highlight will be the grand fireworks display from the Muxiano pier, which will begin at 12.30am.

The fireworks display will continue on the big day of the Romería de la Virgen de la Barca pilgrimage, Sunday 14 September, with the largest fireworks display in Galicia at 2.30 pm, followed by a performance by the Virgen de la Barca Polyphonic Choir. There will be a macro vermouth session with Acordes y Galaxia, who will repeat their performance in the evening together with the Los Satélites orchestra.

To close the musical programme, international singer Soraya Arnelas will give a concert on Monday 15th at 11.30 pm on the pier. That same day in the morning, for the vermouth session, there will be a performance by the M-3 Show Orchestra.

Religious programme

The leisure activities will coexist at all times with the devotion and contemplation characteristic of these important days. Tomorrow, the Novena de la Barca will conclude with the Eucharist at 7:00 p.m., which will be attended by the episcopal subdelegate for Children and Youth and parish priest of the U.P. de Riazor in A Coruña, Santiago Romero.

On Saturday of the Barca, there will be Masses at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. (sung), 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. On Sunday of the Barca, the big day, there will be Mass at the same times. However, the 1:00 p.m. Mass, the outdoor Mass, will be the main event of the day and will be held outside the Santuario de la Barca. This will be followed by a procession carrying the image of the Virgen de la Barca to the pier, where the blessing and the throwing of palenque bombs will take place, before the Saint is transferred to the parish church.

On Lunes de la Barca, Masses will be held at 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. At 12:30 p.m., the procession will depart from the parish church and make its way to the Sanctuary, where a solemn Mass will be held.

Activation of the Security Plan

In anticipation of large numbers of visitors, the Security Plan for the Virgen de la Barca Pilgrimage has been in place since yesterday. Numerous security and emergency personnel from different parts of Galicia and Spain are expected to attend the big day. Among them are mobile ICUs, units specialising in gender violence, SAMUR teams, a dozen Civil Guard patrols, and more than fifty volunteers from Civil Protection groups in Galicia and other communities such as Madrid and Extremadura.

All information about the celebration can be found on the event website https://romeriadabarcademuxia.com/ and on its Facebook and Instagram profiles.

La entrada The “Virgen de la Barca” Festival begins tomorrow with four days of intense activity se publicó primero en Romería da Barca de Muxía.

The procession had to be postponed until yesterday due to adverse weather conditions on Saturday. The Sanctuary of A Barca was already full of worshippers before the celebration of the Novena of the day, which was attended by the Episcopal Vicar of Pastoral Care and parish priest in solidum of the Pastoral Unit of Pontevedra Norte, Francisco Javier Porro. The Eucharist was accompanied by the voices of the Muxía Polyphonic Choir.

Once the services were over, Daniel Turnes took the image of the Saint to place it on the renovated platform and begin the procession. The procession was attended by hundreds of faithful who, in an atmosphere of contemplation, walked through the streets of the town under the gaze of numerous neighbours who followed the torchlight procession from the doors and windows of their homes.

Throughout the procession, the bearers of the float of Virgen de la Barca took turns so that as many faithful as possible could participate. The last stop of the procession was next to the statue of La Herida, where, as the culmination of the torchlight procession, a spectacular fireworks display was held from the A Barca Sanctuary in Muxía. The procession concluded with the arrival of the image of the Saint at the temple and the final blessing by the preacher of the day and the cheers of ‘Long live the Virgin of A Barca’.

The Novena de la Barca will continue until 12 September, with different preachers each day. The 7 p.m. services will be streamed live on the Facebook fan page and YouTube channel of the A Barca Sanctuary. The temple is open all day and the dressing room of the Virgin of the Barca is accessible.

Festive programme

The cultural and leisure programme for the Romería de la Virgen de la Barca de Muxía, declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest in 1989 and supported by the Xunta de Galicia, will begin on Friday 12 September. The firing of 21 fireworks at 12 noon will announce the start of the festival, followed by parades of giants and big-heads with bagpipe bands through the town (an activity that will be repeated every day of the festival). On this first day, which is more for newcomers, there will be a vermouth session at the Muxía pier with Disco Móvil CDC and a night-time dance with Kubo, which has the largest stage in Spain, ending with CDC.

On Saturday, the day of the Barca, there will be a vermouth session with entertainment by Alianza, which will be joined in the evening by the París de Noia show. At 12.30 a.m. there will be a grand fireworks display from the pier.

On the big day of the Romería de la Barca de Muxía, in addition to the outdoor mass and the procession to the pier, there will be the traditional setting off of the biggest firecrackers in Galicia (2.30 p.m.). This will be followed by a macro vermouth session with Acordes y Galaxia, who will perform again in the evening together with the Los Satélites orchestra.

The grand finale to Muxía’s biggest celebrations will be provided by the singer Soraya, who will perform on Monday 15 September at 11.30 pm on the quay. During the day, in addition to the procession at 1 p.m., there will be a vermouth session with the M-3 Show Orchestra.

All the information about the celebration can be found on the event’s website https://romeriadabarcademuxia.com/ and on its Facebook and Instagram profiles.

La entrada Hundreds of people took part in the Torchlight Procession, which featured an extended route for the first time se publicó primero en Romería da Barca de Muxía.

The event was attended by the president of the Romería de la Barca de Muxía Cultural Association (organiser of the event), Ramón Pérez Barrientos; the mayor of Muxía, Francisco Javier Sar; the Councillor for Culture, Sandra Vilela; the parish priest of the Sanctuary of the Barca, Daniel Turnes; and the senior patron of Muxía, Daniel Castro. The main days of the celebration will be between 12 and 15 September, although the liturgical programme will begin on the 4th with the Novena de la Barca.

Ramón Pérez highlighted the leisure activities organised for this year, hoping that the “Pilgrimage of the “Virgen de la Barca de Muxía” Festival ‘will once again be a great success in terms of attendance’ and highlighted the work being done, in collaboration with the Regional Government of Galicia, to have the event declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest. The Muxián councillor echoed these sentiments, expressing his satisfaction with the extensive programme of religious and cultural events, which he hopes will ‘fill our town with visitors to enjoy these special days’.

Renowned orchestras

The president of the Romería de la Barca de Muxía Cultural Association explained the cultural programme for this year’s edition. ‘There will be no shortage of renowned orchestras and there will be a grand finale performance by Soraya, which will put the finishing touch to this year’s programme,’ he announced at this morning’s presentation.

The programme itself will begin on Friday 12 September with the firing of 21 palenque bombs at 12 noon, followed by a parade of giants and big-heads with bagpipe bands through the town. This start to the day will be repeated on the following days (on Saturday 13th at the same time, while on Sunday 14th and Monday 15th it will take place at 9 a.m.).

Musical performances will continue to take centre stage in the port area during the four days of festivities. On Friday 12th, the vermouth session will be provided by Disco Móvil CDC and the evening’s entertainment will feature a performance by ‘Kubo, which has the largest stage in Spain,’ said Pérez Barrientos, and the evening will end with Disco Móvil CDC.

On Saturday of the Barca, there will be a vermouth session enlivened by Alianza and, in the evening, a great performance by París de Noia, together with the previous orchestra. At 12:30 a.m., there will be a grand fireworks display from the pier.

The fireworks will continue on the big day of the “Romería de la Virgen de la Barca” Festival, Sunday 14th September, with the biggest fireworks display in Galicia at 2.30 pm, followed by a performance by the Virgen de la Barca Polyphonic Choir. There will be a macro vermouth session with Acordes y Galaxia, who will repeat their performance in the evening together with the Los Satélites orchestra.

The M-3 Show Orchestra will be in charge of entertaining the vermouth session on Monday 15th. The finishing touch to the celebration will be provided by the singer Soraya, starting at 11.30 pm on the Muxián pier.

Religious programme

For his part, Daniel Turnes was responsible for detailing the religious programme for these days. All information is available on the Sanctuary’s website (https://santuariodeabarca.org/). The parish priest indicated that during the Novena and all the festive days there will always be priests available for confession.

The liturgical events will begin on 4 September with the celebration of the Novena de la Barca, with Masses every day at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. At the evening Masses, a different priest will celebrate the Eucharist each day. During the Novena (until the 12th), there will be special events, including those on Saturday, 6 September, with the celebration with the children at 5:00 p.m. and the departure of the night-time Torchlight Procession at 8:30 p.m. from the Sanctuary of La Barca. On Sunday 7th there will be the traditional celebration with the elderly and sick, and on Tuesday 9th there will be a funeral for the deceased devotees of La Barca.

During the main days of the festival, on Saturday 13th there will be Masses at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. (sung), 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., which will also be repeated the following day. However, on La Barca Sunday, there will be an outdoor Mass at 1:00 p.m., featuring the Virgen de la Barca Polyphonic Choir, followed by the procession to the port and the traditional blessing.

On Monday of the Boat at 10:00 a.m., the procession will depart from the parish church to the sanctuary, where a solemn Mass will be held. The last of the services will take place at 7:00 p.m. with another Eucharist.

Daniel Turnes encouraged neighbours and visitors to participate in the religious events, while reminding them that, following the example set last year, ‘we will broadcast Masses and the Novena via streaming on the Sanctuary’s Facebook page’. In this way, we aim to bring the services at the Sanctuary of La Barca closer to anyone in the world.

La entrada “Virgen de la Barca de Muxía” Festival will be held from the 12th to the 15th with an extensive programme of religious and cultural activities. se publicó primero en Romería da Barca de Muxía.

“We are very satisfied with the excellent attendance this eyar. There has been an increase compared to last year in both the recreational and religious part of the programme,” says the president of the organising entity, Ramón Pérez. Not surprisingly, the occupancy of the more than 2,000 beds registered in the municipal district of Muxía was at 100% throughout last week.

They were just as full in the restaurants of the town that were supplemented by the frenetic activity in the 3 tents of “pulperías” (octopus restaurants) -with an average capacity of 1,000 people- and in the more than 20 food stalls installed in the capital of the Muxía municipal district. “In fact, several of the stalls sold out of stock,” explains the president of the organizing entity, Ramón Pérez, who indicates that next year this type of street food and drink services will be expanded, given the high demand.

From South America, Europe and Asia

As far as attendees are concerned, Ramón Pérez indicated that “in recent years, we have noticed an increase in foreign visitors, and this year, more than on previous occasions.” Among the countries of origin, those from South America stand out, since “many people have emigrated to countries such as Argentina, Uruguay or Paraguay and take the opportunity to visit their relatives.”

A group of Asian pilgrims was especially striking, who showed great interest in all the services carried out in the Sanctuary, as well as in the different activities included in the program of this event. No less important was the number of attendees from Portugal, from where several buses were chartered to bring them to Muxía on the different festive days, especial on the main Sunday of A Barca.

Within Spain, there was an increase in “groups from Andalusia. In fact, in Sunday’s procession 2 buses arrived from Chiclana de la Frontera, with more than 100 people interested in experiencing the devotion to our Virgin,” declares the president of the Association of the “Virgin of A Barca” Festival.

The most crowded days were those of Saturday and Sunday, with an average of 20,000 attendees each. The recreational program, which filled Muxía with music, parades and different performances, contributed to the high attendance. Added to this was the main day, with the procession of the Virgin of A Barca and the solemn outdoor mass -attended by some 5,000 people- which culminated in the largest display of “palenque” fireworks in Galicia in the port of Muxía. “It is an activity that attracts a lot of attention and that surprises and impresses visitors a lot,” explains Ramón Pérez.

With respect to the rest of the days, Friday had around 5,000 people, while Thursday was somewhat lower. In the case of Monday, there were also more than 5,000 attendees, who enjoyed not only the procession to return the image of the Virgin of A Barca, but also the last recreational events of the program, among which the children’s foam party stood out, in addition to the orchestras and musical groups, which put the finishing touch to the festivities in Muxía.

An increasingly international Sanctuary

For his part, the parish priest of Muxía, Daniel Turnes, was also very satisfied because “the number of pilgrims in the procession has grown exponentially.” In the absence of specific figures, there has been an excellent response from citizens and visitors to the possibility of “accessing the place where Our Lady is kept, so they can have a closer look. It is the first time it has been opened to the public in three decades and it has been very popular,” he explains.

In addition to this new feature, the Sanctuary has made “a very special commitment” by facilitating virtual attendance at the services through streaming. The Facebook page of the Sanctuary of A Barca broadcast the different Eucharists live, starting with those of the Novena -which also enjoyed an increase in influx with hundreds of attendees each day. According to preliminary data from the parish, “we have obtained an average of 1,200 views of each live broadcast and we have not stopped receiving congratulations for these broadcasts,” says Daniel Turnes. 

Not surprisingly, the use of new technologies has facilitated the internationalization of the Sanctuary of A Barca, since “there have been many visits from the American continent and we even have evidence of people who are at sea and who, thanks to streaming, have been able to follow the different acts.” Given the good response, the parish is considering the possibility of making a daily broadcast of the masses in order to expand the devotion to the Virgen of A Barca.

Extensive deployment of security and emergency personnel

Despite the massive attendance, “no incidents have been recorded,” explains Ramón Pérez. Even so, and to promote the proper enjoyment of all the events, Muxía’s “A Barca” Festival featured a large deployment of security and emergency personnel, coming from different parts of Galicia and Spain.

Thus, the celebration had 3 mobile ICUs; a SAMUR team, made up of 10 healthcare professionals, and another specialized in Gender Violence, from Getafe, with 4 members. These were joined by about twenty members of the Local Police, as well as a dozen patrols of the Civil Guard (Traffic, Seprona and riot police). In addition, Muxía had more than 60 volunteers from Civil Protection groups in Galicia and other regions such as Madrid and Extremadura.

La entrada The “Virgin de A Barca” Festival attracted more than 50,000 people to Muxía during its festive days se publicó primero en Romería da Barca de Muxía.

The day began at 12:30 p.m. in the parish church, from where a crowded procession departed, featuring the participation a good number of Muxía residents. Once in the sanctuary, the new priest of the town, Manuel Turnes, gave a solemn mass sung by the “Virxe da Barca de Muxía” Polyphonic Choir.

During the homily, the parish priest once again asked his faithful for unity, patience and prayer, as he did in the opening novena of the religious acts that was held on September 5. He also spoke of the ability of the “Virxe da Barca” to unite people and stressed that only with unity will it be possible to face the new challenges that the sanctuary has ahead: the exterior sealing and interior painting of the church, as well as the reconstruction of its altarpiece.

The mass ended, as usual, with the intonation of the Hymn of the “Virxe da Barca,” which moved many of those present, and the intonation of numerous cheers and hails to their patron saint.

After the religious acts, the party began in the port of Muxía with a vermouth session featuring the M-3 Show orchestra; as well as with the performance of brass bands, bagpipe bands, giants and bigheads.

A great night festival will put the finishing touch to the celebrations

After four days of celebrations, the festivities will conclude tonight in style with a great festival that will last until the early hours of the morning.

To say goodbye to the party, the organization has opted for the Orquesta Origen, a group founded in 2022 that has already become the revelation of the year and one of the most demanded in the calendar of festivities in Galicia. They will be joined by the M-3 Show orchestra that, after its daytime performance, will perform its show “La Gira Loca 2024” for Muxía’s residents.

All of this to end the festive programme of the “Virxe da Barca” Festival, an event declared of National Tourist Interest in 1989 that, this year, has enjoyed the support of the Xunta de Galicia.

La entrada The “Virxe da Barca” Festival bids farewell to a massive event with the local procession to return the image of Our Lady se publicó primero en Romería da Barca de Muxía.

The pilgrims, who came from all the towns of the Costa da Morte but also from other parts of Galicia, Spain and even from numerous foreign countries, packed the Muxiá Sanctuary from early in the morning to attend the first liturgies, which were held at 10:00, 11:00 and 12:00 hours.

Thousands of people also came to the vicinity of the sanctuary to comply with one of the most deeply-rooted traditions: trying to move the “pedra de abalar”, passing nine times under the “pedra dos cadrís” (stone of the kidneys) – to which healing properties for kidney and back diseases are attributed – or putting their head into the “pedra da cabeza” (stone of the head).

The solemn mass, which began after 1:00 p.m., was led by Manuel Jesús Formoso, canon of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Next to him was Daniel Turnes, parish priest of Muxía since May of this year, who before the conclusion of the liturgy took the floor to “thank from the bottom of my heart all the people who gave their best” to make his first Barca festival possible.

During the ceremony, which featured the spectacular singing voices of the Polyphonic Choir of Muxía, there were also words in memory of Manuel Piñeiro Lema, a priest of Muxía for the last forty years who died this Friday. After asking the faithful for a prayer in his memory, the current priest of Muxía announced his objectives included sealing and painting the Sanctuary and repairing the main altarpiece, “just as Don Manuel would have wanted.”

After the outdoor mass, the emblematic procession began, in which a crowd of devotees accompanied the “Virxe da Barca” image from the sanctuary to the port of Muxía.  This location was also the venue of another of the great attractions of the day: the largest firecrackers display in all of Galicia.

At the signal of the parish priest, who communicated by telephone with those responsible for the pyrotechnics, the launching of the “palenque” fireworks in honour of Our Lady began. An amazing pyrotechnic show of approximately ten minutes in length in which a huge firecracker almost a kilometre and a half long was burned.

The attendees, who fervently enjoyed the noise, chanted cheers to their patron saint and, amid applause, saw her leave again for the streets of Muxía on her way to the parish church. There the image will rest until tomorrow, Monday, from where it will depart at 12:30 p.m. in the morning to head back to its sanctuary.

The festivities of Barca Festive continue after the religious acts with an extensive festive program

After depositing the image of Our Lady in the parish church, the party will continue in Muxía throughout the day with a macro vermouth session featuring the Escaparate and Alcazar orchestras and, at night, with a large open-air dance that will last until almost dawn with the performances of Los Satélites, Escaparate, Alcazar and O tren da Unha.

The festivities, declared to be of National Tourist Interest and which this year have the support of the Xunta de Galicia, will conclude tomorrow Monday with the procession from the parish church to the sanctuary, and with a great night celebration led by the new Origen orchestra and M-3 Show.

La entrada The “Virxe da Barca” Festival brought together thousands of faithful from all over the world on the day of its grand procession se publicó primero en Romería da Barca de Muxía.