Catral celebrates Santa Águeda fiestas
CATRAL is celebrating Santa Águeda feast day - which falls on Sunday, February 5 - over the coming days.
The event is considered to be one of the most ancient and emblematic traditions in the province of Alicante, if not the Valencia region.
Catral has a Santa Águeda district, which houses a hermitage bearing the saint’s name.
Águeda was a Christian woman from Catania (Sicily) who, due to her faith, suffered martyrdom on February 5, 251.
She is the protector of women and patron saint of breast cancer patients, martyrs, wet nurses, bellfounders, bakers, fire, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and more specifically the eruptions of Mount Etna.
The pilgrimage (romería) in her honour is distinguished as being a fiesta of provincial tourist interest.
During the main days of the celebrations, the Santa Águeda district of Catral will be transformed into a fair area, where visitors can taste traditional local food and sweets.
Here is the schedule of events:
Sunday, January 29
12.00: Open-air Saint’s Mass at Plaza de Santa Águeda, presided over by Reverend Francisco Rodriguez Gelardo, from Biar parish and accompanied by Santos Juanes mixed parish choir
Saturday, February 4
09.00: Saint’s Mass at Santa Águeda hermitage
20.30: Statue of Santa Águeda will be transferred from its traditional home in the hermitage to Santos Juanes parish church
Sunday, February 5
09.00: Saint’s Mass at Santa Águeda hermitage 09.00: Saint’s Mass at Santos Juanes parish church. 11.00: Solemn Mass with accompaniment from Santos Juanes mixed parish choir Following the Mass there will be a pilgrimage (romería), returning the statue of Santa Águeda to the hermitage