Silence falls on the beach in the former fishing village of Estepona as the sun sets over Spain’s southern coast.
Barefoot men in white shirts carry a seven-foot statue of the Virgen del Carmen, or Our Lady of Mount Carmel, adorned with flowers, across the sand. Children climb on their parents’ shoulders, while others record on their phones, standing waist-deep in the sea. Offshore, boats filled with families and friends await the Virgin’s arrival.
